The Stars in My Eyes
by Cobalt-Maelstrom
Summary: A night they will never forget. * Jalex *
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP, I just like to play in their world. Rated M for very mature content, theme, and over all just in case. I also took some liberties with the magic and so forth as I am not fully sure of what the show allows with their spells. I hope it doesn't distract from the story. Also, if you hate the Jalex pairing then you probably shouldn't read this. Just giving you fair warning!**

**A/N: Could be a one shot. Could be a longer piece. Depends on your comments. Please read and review!

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**The Stars in My Eyes**

"Justin?" Alex asked softly as she looked up at the starlit sky above her.

"Huh?" He replied, his voice matching the softness of hers.

"Do you really have to go?"

He gave a gentle laugh and glanced sideways at her. They were lying out on the roof of their home at Waverly Place staring up at the purplish black nighttime sky blanketed with twinkling stars. There was supposed to be a meteor shower that night and it was also Justin's last night home before he left to study abroad in England. Though meteor showers weren't exactly Alex's idea of a great time, she wanted to be with him one last time before she lost him forever.

"Yeah," Justin replied, "I have to go."

They rested in silence for a moment admiring the sky. Justin was content with the idea of watching the shower from the terrace, but it was Alex's idea to climb up on the roof. He had been surprised that she wanted to join him at all, but he welcomed the company. They had been getting along better as of late. The snide comments and harsh jokes at each other's expense came to a steady decline and you could actually tell that they were going to miss one another.

Their rooftop theater really was the perfect location to watch the universe's light show, except for the comments of their nosey neighbors showing up every ten minutes.

"You kids shouldn't be up on the roof like that! You're gonna fall and break your necks!" Came a shout from above. Oh how Justin wished their building were one of the tallest in the city.

"That's it," Alex complained as she sat up. She watched as the bothersome neighbor pulled her head back inside her own apartment before she pulled out her wand from her boot.

"What are you do-" Justin began and pushed himself until he was leaning on his elbows, but he was silenced when Alex began speaking.

_"I'll make you butt out, though you think you won't. At first you see us, but now you don't,"_ at the completion of her last word a translucent material emerged from the end of her wand and formed a dome over them. It looked like a giant, glittering bubble surrounding them. The faint glimpses of rainbow colors faded as the bubble secured itself. Noticing that it was kind of small Alex pushed at the edges with her hands until it stretched farther away from her. She leaned over Justin and pushed at his side to give him more room. The scent of her lavender shampoo wafted up at him and he inhaled deeply. It reminded him of whenever she left the bathroom after her morning shower. God, he was going to miss that smell. Even though the amount of time she spent in the shower, and the fact that most of the hot water was gone by the time he got in, usually pissed him off, he always loved the way the bathroom felt after she left it. The hot mist hanging in the air smelling like her shampoo. He would stand in the center of the room breathing it in until he knew he was spreading his time limit too thin. Justin watched as Alex returned her wand to its position and settled back down on the red blanket they shared.

"There, now we're all alone," she said and gave him a smile.

"You know, a month ago I wouldn't have admitted this," Justin began, "but I can completely see why you're the family wizard." He looked over at her and returned her smile. The Russo's had the Wizard Competition a little over four weeks prior. Justin tried his best to gain the powers, but what it came down to in the end was the ability for the wizard to think on his or her feet and improvise spells. Justin knew at that moment that both he and Max were toast. No one beat Alex when it came to that area of expertise.

"It's nothing," Alex replied and gave a shrug. Justin couldn't be positive, but in the evening din he thought he saw a blush creep up her neck and kiss her cheeks.

"No, Alex, it is something. And you should be proud of yourself. You're the family wizard," he said and turned to rest on his side to look at her. He propped his head up by resting it in his hand, "and you deserve it." Alex mimicked his position, turning her body to face his.

"You know, this means that I've beaten you twice now," she said, a smirk playing on her pink glossed lips. She held up two fingers and wiggled them in his face. She was of course, referring to the first competition in which they competed against each other back when they had to find the Stone of Dreams.

Justin laughed, "yeah, well, that just means that it was meant to be, right?"

"You know, I thought you'd be mad," Alex said after a pause, lowering her hand and resting it on top of the blanket between them. She began to idly remove tiny pieces of fuzz, "I mean, I knew Max wouldn't care one way or the other, he adapts to whatever situation."

Justin nodded and watched the meticulous repetition of Alex's fingers as they moved over the surface of the blanket, "yeah, Max is a chameleon like that," he began, "but, Alex," he placed his hand on top of hers and looked up waiting for her to meet his gaze. When she did he smiled, "I could never be mad at you for reaching your full potential. That's something I've wanted for you for a long, long time."

Alex's eyes were wider as his fingers closed over her hand. His warmth radiated over her body and she felt her temperature rise. She had always known that there were feelings inside her that weren't exactly normal where Justin was concerned, but having him so close; with skin on skin contact was making that abundantly clear. Warning bells were sounding in her head and she knew that she should pull away, but the thought of him leaving the next day was playing on her conscience. If she pulled away, she might never get the chance again. Instead of breaking contact, she encouraged it by turning her hand over so they were palm to palm.

"I just know that you really liked having your magic," her voice was barely a whisper, and Justin leaned toward her as if to hear better.

Justin's heart was racing as he lay on that blanket stretched out beneath the stars with Alex. It was exhilarating being so exposed and yet, knowing they were shielded from all eyes except their own. The smoothness of her palm was sending tiny shock waves through his skin. Alexquakes. Every fiber of his being was telling him that wasn't a normal feeling to be having about your little sister. Still, he couldn't accept backing down when he knew that he might never be with her like this again. It was a rare opportunity and even though Justin wasn't normally a guy to act on impulse, his whole body was aching for spontaneity.

"Sometimes the most magical of moments don't involve a wand," he breathed. The line was corny, but rather than feeling artificial it felt like the most appropriate thing he had ever uttered before in his life. Justin released his hold on Alex's hand and ran his fingers down the side of her face marveling at the smoothness of her creamy skin, the brightness of her eyes and the way her lips parted as his fingers came to rest just beside them. She was beautiful.

"Justin?" Alex whispered, her eyes searching his face for a sign that this was really happening. When she had created the bubble she had no idea that it might lead to something like this, though she certainly wasn't wishing it to stop. Was that wrong? Was it really a horrible thing? It didn't feel horrible. It felt, sexy. Her eyes found his and what she saw there was a mix of love, guilt, and lust. She felt his fingers travel so lightly down her face that the sensation tickled, they finally came to rest beside her lips and her heart pounded. Her stomach fluttered to relieve itself of nervous energy. Was this it? The idea of this moment had played on her mind many times throughout the last couple of years, but she never thought that it would actually come to fruition. Justin was always so perfect, so right about everything. He never made a mistake. He never did anything he didn't want to or what he thought was wrong. So, if he was doing this … then it must not be that wrong. Right?

Justin was oblivious to the thoughts roving in Alex's mind, all he could tell was that she hadn't moved away from his touch. She didn't pull back and scream at him. She didn't call him a freak or brandish her wand. In fact, the look in her eyes was almost pleading. Did she want this as much as he did? That question caused his heart to leap into his throat. Alex was impulsive and impetuous, but she never ran headfirst into anything she didn't believe in. If she was willing to take this jump with him then her heart must be in it. He heard her whisper his name and he had never heard that tone in her voice before. A little scared with the faint hint of cautious excitement swirling beneath the surface. It was then that Justin knew he could never carry on with his life without knowing how she tasted. His fingers moved against her face, feeling the softness of her skin as his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb lightly tracing over her lower lip. Her eyes closed for a brief moment and Justin took that as the only invitation he needed. His hand fisted lightly into her hair and pulled her close without hesitation. His mouth was on hers, all passion and need. He felt her melt to his will.

The feel of Justin's lips on hers was electrifying. Alex had never felt any kiss like it before. Her lips felt numb, but in a good way. Then they began to tingle with a sensation that made her head spin and she began to feel dizzy. Can a kiss make you feel drunk? She felt as though she was losing herself in Justin's touch and she couldn't hold the position of lying on her side any longer. Though reluctant, she pulled away from his lips as she allowed herself to roll onto her back. She reached up to Justin and this time it was she who pulled him down to her. He switched his position so that he was leaning over her, supporting his weight with his hands. Their lips pulled at each other, their teeth nipped and tongues caressed. Alex laced her fingers into his dark hair and pulled his face toward her each time she felt as though he was pulling away. She didn't want this to end. She would do anything to keep him here in this moment. In their own world.

Justin pulled away from Alex, turning his head slightly to untangle her fingers from his hair. His breathing was labored and he felt as though he had been running a marathon. A very exciting, marathon. He knew that the proof of his excitement was painfully obvious, yet Alex didn't seem to notice. She lay beneath him, her hair surrounding her like a dark pillow against the red blanket. Her cheeks flushed, her eyelids closed ever so slightly giving her the look as though she were waking from a wonderful dream. The pink gloss of her lips was long gone, smudged off from kissing, instead her lips were a deeper pink and puffy from the friction. Justin had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"Justin," Alex said softly, her eyes looking up at him now with a sultry expression, "don't stop touching me."

Though the words were shocking, they weren't unwelcome, but he needed to know if it was truly okay.

"Are you sure?" He asked as he lowered himself until he was lying beside her on the blanket, close enough so their bodies were touching.

"Very sure," she replied. Alex sat up then and pulled off her tank top. She set it aside, careful not to toss it outside of their protective bubble. Justin looked up and admired her back. Her skin was unblemished and perfect, so smooth and delicate. He watched as her hands came around to unhook her powder blue bra, but his hand shot up and stopped her as he sat up.

"Justin, it's okay ... I want to," Alex said, turning her head a little to look back at him.

"It's not that," he replied as he lowered his lips to her shoulder and placed a kiss against her hot skin, "I want to undo it."

"Oh," Alex blushed, but removed her hand from the hook of her bra and patiently waited for Justin. He positioned himself behind her with his legs on either side of her body as she sat and he rested his hands against her skin. He wanted to feel all of her. Slowly and gently he began rubbing her shoulders every so often running his hand up and down the softness of her slender neck.

"God, that feels so good," Alex said her eyes closing as his hands worked her shoulders. She had never felt more at ease. Justin pushed the straps of her bra off her shoulders and she allowed them to fall against her arms. He kissed the places where the straps had been and leaned his head on her shoulder as she felt the back of his hand gently caressing her back. Alex turned her face so that she was looking at him with his head resting on her shoulder. She was about to speak when she felt the hook of her bra give way. She watched as he smirked and lowered his lips to her shoulder again. His hands pushed the fabric of her bra away from her body and all she did was lift her arms slightly to allow the movement. Then she felt his hands reach around and cup her breasts. She couldn't help herself, she moaned when she felt his touch.

Justin continued kissing her neck and sucking gently at the tender flesh. He felt her head fall to the side as he squeezed and massaged her. He felt her nipples harden at his touch and his cock twitched and strained against his jeans. His face was resting against her neck now, his breath hot against her skin. He released his hold on her breasts in the interest of running his fingers lightly over their rock hard tips. Alex fell back against his chest and he wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her close. His head was now lifted from her shoulder so that she could fully lie back against him. Justin leaned over and placed a kiss on her temple before noticing that her eyes were closed and her lips parted with pleasure. He ran his hand down her stomach and felt her shiver at his light touch which continued until his fingertips dipped below the top of her denim skirt.

Alex loved the feeling of Justin's hands on her skin; the tingling caresses lulling her into submission. She didn't want him to ever stop. His hands trailed down her stomach and she felt her skin develop tiny goose bumps from the heightened sensitivity. She felt his fingers disappear into the top of her skirt and her eyes opened. Suddenly without warning the spark that was flickering within her burst into a bright open flame. White and hot. Her hands found the button on her skirt and she tugged it open, forced the zipper down and shimmied the fabric down her slender hips until all that was left was her white panties. They weren't the sexiest pair she owned, but she hadn't exactly been expecting a moment like this. She sat up and turned to face Justin who was a bit startled by the speed at which she had taken things.

Alex stood on her knees in front of him. His mouth opened and closed like a fish on a dock and his eyes were locked on her chest. Alex smiled and sidled closer to him. She reached down and grabbed at the bottom of his T-Shirt. She pulled it up over his head and let it rest with her discarded clothes. Though her need was growing exponentially, she wanted to lavish some attention onto his body. Alex rested her palm against Justin's chest as she gently urged him to lie back. She was thrilled when he complied. Leaning over him, she kissed his mouth slowly and sensually. When she felt him start to lean up into her she pulled away and began trailing heated kisses down his bare chest. Alex stopped briefly at each nipple, giving each one direct attention. She licked and sucked on them until she heard him groan. She worried them with her teeth before continuing her journey down his stomach. Justin's breathing was heavy and his body tense, he was holding back. Alex reached the button of his jeans and as her fingers closed around it she knew that after this moment there would be no going back. She undid his jeans and tugged them down his legs, boxers and all. She took a deep breath before allowing her eyes to fall on him again.

Justin felt her tug his jeans and boxers off and he pushed himself up onto his elbows to see her reaction to him. He was at full attention and worried about what she might think. She stared at what he had to offer for what felt like an eternity before she gingerly reached out and ran her fingertips down his shaft. Justin took in a quick breath as the sensitivity of her touch was almost too much to take.

"Alex," he groaned softly, his eyes looking down at her with fire. His head fell back as her hand closed around him and began to move with slow deliberate strokes. He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the blanket in his fists. The pleasure was building at an alarming rate. He didn't want it to be over too quickly. He reached down and grabbed Alex's hand to stop her movements.

"Wait," he ordered, "just… give me a minute?" Justin asked as he panted slightly. He needed to calm down. Alex didn't say anything, but she removed her hand from his body. Justin wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He heard her shifting her position, but was too busy calming himself to pay much attention to her actions. He raked his fingers through his hair and swallowed hard as he willed his pleasure to subside momentarily. Apparently, Alex had other plans. His eyes shot open as he felt her straddle him.

"What are you-?" He asked shooting to his elbows again. She had removed her panties and was lowering her body to his.

"Shh," Alex said, touching his lips lightly with her finger, "now is not for talking." With that she positioned herself over him and slid down in a painstakingly slow fashion until their bodies were flush with one another. Justin's groans of pleasure deepened with each inch as she lowered her body. As if in possession of their own will he found his hands reaching up to her. He rubbed her breasts as she moved above him, his fingers finding her hard nipples and pinching them lightly.

Having partaken of this action a few times in her young life, Alex knew that she had to remain still momentarily to allow them to each get used to one another. After that moment of stillness Alex began to alternate between circling her hips and sliding herself up and down. Justin's hands traveled from her breasts down to grip her hips as she rode him. He refused to close his eyes, instead he watched her beautiful face and body as she worked a different kind of magic on him. The sounds of her soft moans of pleasure were undeniably hot and Justin only briefly wondered whether the bubble was sound proof. Her speed began to pick up, but Justin tightened his grip on her hips to slow her.

"Wait," he whispered as he sat up slowly. He lifted her body from his and urged her to take his place laying down on the blanket. For once Alex didn't object to him. She rested on her back as Justin positioned himself between her legs. He entered her again, but this time he lowered himself to his elbows so they could be close to one another. He kissed her mouth tenderly as he moved his body against hers. She moaned into him with each gentle thrust and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Alex felt the pleasure in her body building as she met each of his movements with her own. She had never felt anything quite like this before. She knew now, what it felt like to truly love. Their bodies moved as one, meeting each other stroke for stroke until the explosive finale when Justin kissed her hard against the mouth, stifling her cry of pleasure. As their heart rates began to slow again, they rested together on the blanket beneath the stars. Justin lying on his back, Alex curled up against him, her head resting on his chest. They didn't speak. They didn't have to. Justin ran his hand over her silky hair as he watched the stars above through the protective bubble. Just then a bright orange light streaked across the sky, quickly followed by its brethren.


	2. Missed Communication

Watching Justin walk away and head for his plane was almost more than Alex could stand. The entire taxi ride back to the sub shop was filled with Theresa's sobs while Alex tried to brush away silent tears of her own before anyone noticed which was impossible in a cramped cab.

"Oh mija," her mother had said as she reached over to embrace her daughter, which inadvertently squashed Max who was seated between them in the backseat, "I didn't even think about how this would affect you! I was so used to the two of you fighting all the time that I figured you'd be happy to see him get on a plane, but now, now you two have grown closer. I knew it would happen. I knew that one day my niños would mature and see that keeping your familia close is muy importante."

"Notunalcashes," came a muffled response.

"Max! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-," Theresa pulled away to look at her son and then burst into tears again as she suddenly embraced him in a fit of emotion, "my baby boy!"

Alex was glad for her mother's sudden distraction as she turned her tear stained face to the window and stared without seeing. If only Theresa knew exactly how close she and Justin had actually grown. Their stolen night under the stars was one that Alex would not soon forget.

The days immediately following Justin's departure from Waverly Place were the hardest. His bedroom was mostly the same, though Jerry threatened almost daily to remodel it into his man cave, and Alex found herself curling up to sleep on his bed every night instead of her own. The pillow still held his scent. If she closed her eyes and tried hard enough it almost felt like he was there with her. Many times she considered using her magic to pop into his life in England, but she always found herself hesitating with her wand at the ready. Would he even want to see her? This uncertainty was unchartered territory for Alex. Her usual headstrong, act without thinking, mentality did not apply to Justin anymore. The floodgates that they had opened that night released more than just raw passion. They released so many unasked questions. What did it mean? Does his heart race when she enters his mind? Did he regret it? If he were any other boy Alex would just ask him. She'd saunter up to him, place a hand on her hip, tilt her head to the side and demand to know what it all meant. But this was Justin. Straight laced, conservative, rules are the rules, Justin. Her brother. Oh God, she was in love with her brother. Most of her thoughts were occupied by the memory of his taste, his touch, his tenderness, but every so often reality struck her like a lead weight. _He was her brother._ These feelings she had were wrong. The thoughts she entertained were immoral. The act they committed was beyond sinful. Yet it still brought a smile to her face to remember the weight of him on top of her as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer. Alex spent many a night on Justin's bed reminiscing and romancing herself into a blissful dream filled sleep. Those were the nights that she slept the best.

Besides his initial phone call to let their parents know that he landed, Justin hadn't called for two weeks straight. Part of Alex understood that he would be busy with school and adjusting to a foreign country, but there was still that part of her, that tiny nagging voice in the back of her mind, that thought he was avoiding a call home in order to avoid her.

When the teenage trio of Alex, Max, and Harper entered the Russo house around three after the first day of school the huge smile on Theresa's face gave away the fact that he had finally called. Alex's heart flip flopped in her chest. He had finally called and she missed it!

"When did he call?" Alex asked as she stared at her mother.

"Around noon. Oh Alex, he sounds so happy! He says his classes are fantastic and he's learning so much. He said driving on the other side of the road is hard to get used to, but he's adjusting. He also said that the food there is nothing compared to mine. Isn't that sweet?" Theresa was positively beaming. Alex swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.  
"Yeah, great," she mumbled in response as she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom. She threw her backpack on the floor as she slammed her door shut. She couldn't figure out what made her more upset, the fact that he finally called and she wasn't home or that he sounded happy. She had been sleeping in his bed, nuzzling his pillow, and dreaming of his face while he was off drinking tea and eating crumpets! Alex stood in front of her mirror, rested her hands on the top of her dresser and willed herself to calm down. What was she expecting? That he would be dying to talk to her? That he would suddenly realize that he didn't want to study abroad anymore and run back to her? Her eyes were burning with threatening tears. She was stupid to think that there was something more to that night. It was stupid, just a stupid mistake. A sob escaped her throat at that thought and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the sound. The tears escaped their prison and flowed over her cheeks in salty trails. She angrily wiped at them with the back of her hand when a knocked sounded on her door.

"Go away," she said in what she hoped was a normal voice. Instead of leaving, Harper opened the door and peered inside.

"Alex?" She asked, the concern etched on her face, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Alex replied and turned away from her friend.

"Those aren't nothing tears."

"I'm fine."

"Is it because Justin called?" Harper asked as she shut the door behind her. Alex looked at her best friend and nodded as her face crumbled into a fresh set of tears.

"Oh honey," Harper said as she embraced her friend, "I'm sorry you weren't here when he called. It has to be hard to have your brother living so far away."

Alex nodded and sniffed loudly in Harper's ear. Pulling away Harper pulled out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Alex.

"It's times like this that I'm kind of glad I'm an only child," she said as her mouth turned down into a slight frown when she looked at Alex's face. Alex wiped at her cheeks and blew her nose. Harper's heart was in the right place, but she seriously had no idea how this felt and it had nothing to do with sibling relationships.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her friend asked running her hands up and down Alex's arms. Alex took a deep breath and gave a shaky smile.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need some time I guess and maybe a nap." Alex was suddenly exhausted. She had been holding these feelings inside for so long that their release took more out of her than she was expecting.

"Okay, well you nap and I'll do our math homework," Harper smiled as she grabbed Alex's backpack off the floor. Alex laughed. She had jokingly suggested that Harper do her math homework (okay, half jokingly) but she didn't expect her friend to actually do it. She wasn't about to argue with her though. As soon as the door closed behind Harper, Alex collapsed onto her bed and fell into a restless sleep still filled with Justin's face, but this time he was laughing at her.

When Alex woke up it was well past dinner and she was starving. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and smoothed her hair. She felt like she had been hit by a truck. Sleeping on raw emotion was highly uncomfortable. Once her eyes cleared she noticed a piece of paper resting on her nightstand. She reached for it and read it over twice to make sure that she had it right.

_Justin left his number and wants you to call him. Remember that he's 5 hours ahead of us now, so don't call him too late! And Dad says keep it short because it's long distance. –Mom_

Alex couldn't believe that he actually wanted her to call him. She checked her clock and saw that it was almost six. If she hurried she could grab a sandwich and call him. If her stomach wasn't trying to eat itself she would have ignored food all together, but the growling was growing louder. She ran down the stairs, made a quick peanut butter and jelly and devoured it in record time. Alex took a couple minutes to fix her face, the smeared mascara was not pretty and even though she was just talking to him, she wanted to look pretty. She took a deep breath before she dialed and held it as the phone rang. By the fifth ring Alex was ready to hang up, but that was when someone answered.

"Hello?"

Alex's heart stopped in her chest. It wasn't Justin who answered. In fact it wasn't even male.

"Hello?" Repeated the soft, English, very feminine voice.

Alex didn't know what to think or to say. She glanced at her clock again and did some quick math. If it was six in New York that made it around eleven in England. What was a girl doing in his room that late? Of course Alex _knew_ what a girl would be doing in a boy's room that late, but she didn't want to believe it.

"Hello?" The girl asked again, a little more edge in her tone.

"Justin?" Alex finally squeaked.

"He's a bit preoccupied at the moment, can I take a message?" The girl asked. Wasn't she just so helpful? Alex didn't want to even think about what "preoccupied" meant in fancy English talk. She couldn't even respond, she just hung up the phone. Her heart, having remembered to beat, went into overdrive. Her mind filled with visions of Justin and some Emma Watson look-a-like rolling around on his bed, laughing, kissing, groping. This was worse than not hearing from him, like a million times worse. She lurched to her feet and raced down the hall to suddenly reject the sandwich she had just devoured.

Meanwhile…

Justin returned to his dorm room having just excused himself to use the bathroom and saw his small study group looking confused as Adrianne hung up his phone.

"Did I miss something?" He asked as he shut the door behind him.

"Someone phoned you, but I'm guessing by the look on Adrianne's face that they were exceptionally rude?" A boy named Lawson replied.

"Not rude so much as abrupt," Adrianne corrected, "all she said was your name, Justin, and then she hung up on me when I asked if I could take a message." Justin's heart skipped a beat. Alex. It had to have been Alex. Oh she was probably beyond pissed. Shit. He couldn't call her back, not now. It was already so late and his group still had so much studying to do.

"It was probably my sister," He forced himself to say, for some reason saying that was hard, "I'll have to call her tomorrow. We have to wrap this up otherwise we are not going to be ready for Professor Beeston's exam."

"'Wrap this up'. You American's and you're funny phrases," Adrianne laughed, "we're not a present." Justin gave a half hearted smile. He was used to being the butt of their jokes. It was all in good fun, but he just couldn't bring himself to dish it out knowing that Alex was miles and miles away and probably mad as hell. God, he missed her.

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As always, reviews are appreciated! I decided that there is a story here that I want to tell. So expect more! But seriously though, drop me some reviews! I'd love to hear your thoughts as this develops!

Also, disclaimed. I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place. If I did, season 4 would be very different! haha, anyway, I hope you liked chapter 2!


	3. One Moment

**Justin** was in unfamiliar territory. Not just because he was in a different country, that part he could handle, but college, on the other hand, was a lot different from High School. Back at Tribeca Prep and even at WizTech he had been top of his class, but college was a completely different story. The work was harder, the professors were tougher, and the socializing was way more fun. He didn't realize how good he had it in High School. He could study for a couple hours and pass with a perfect score, but now he could study his ass off and still only pull mediocre grades. Professor Beeston's exam was one of the most brutal things he had ever been through. His class notes were practically useless. Upon reading the first couple of questions it was obvious that the studying his group did wasn't enough. There was even information on the exam that Justin didn't remember from the reading at all! How do you make an exam with information that wasn't even covered?

It didn't help that he was completely distracted. If he wasn't out having coffee with his friends or playing video games in the common room he was thinking about Alex. During the day he was able to distract himself, but at night while he lay in bed staring up at his ceiling she was the focus of his thoughts. He'd remember the smell of her hair or the feel of her lips. Sometimes he'd even pretend that it was her fingers on his skin instead of his own. That night on the roof came to him in his dreams. There were times when he thought that maybe it had only been a dream to begin with, but in his heart he knew better. Getting on the plane and leaving her behind was hard. Beyond hard. He had finally tasted the forbidden fruit that he craved for years and he didn't want to leave her behind. How could one moment give him everything he had ever wanted and its memory remind him of everything he could never have. When he applied for a study abroad program it had been to get away from Alex. The naïve part of him assumed that it was because she drove him crazy, but he knew now, after having her, after being with her, that he had applied to get away from his real feelings.

After all, it was wrong. Not just wrong, but sick and wrong. This was twisted shit. Every time that Justin considered going back home, giving up on his current studies and attending NYU he had to remind himself that distancing himself from Alex was the smarter, better thing to do for both of them. He couldn't be so close to her and not touch her. He couldn't live in the same house and not desire her. This was better. His phone calls home became less and less frequent and every time he did call he silently wished that Alex wasn't the one of the other end of the line. So far he had been lucky. It was hard not to hear her voice, but if he wanted to ensure that he didn't screw with her life he had to avoid heading down that slippery slope. He knew that if he spoke to her he would want to be with her again and he couldn't let that happen. It was better this way. Pretend that it was just a dream.

Justin shifted his backpack as he approached Professor Beeston's office. The exam scores were posted that day and even though he was terrified he had to know how he did. He pushed through the crowd of students milling around the door and found his name on the list. His finger shook slightly as he trailed it from his name to his score.

"Seventy-five?" His eyes widened in shock when he realized that he had received his first ever C range grade. "Are you kidding me?"

"I know how you feel," came a voice from behind him. Justin whirled around and found himself face to face with Adrianne.

"I don't believe this!" He exclaimed.

"It was difficult," she said as if that would ease his mind.

"I've never gotten below an A minus in my life." Justin followed Adrianne as she began walking away from the office. She shifted the books she was holding as they walked.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," she smirked.

"But this is unacceptable," Justin declared, "from now on I am going to do nothing but study. I'll read until my eyes bleed."

"What you'll do is come out for a drink with me and some friends. After scores like ours we deserve to have a little fun," Adrianne decided. Justin's eyebrows knitted together as he thought. Going out drinking sounded like the opposite of what they should be doing. They should get back to studying and figure out if Professor Beeston would allow them to retake the test. Still, Adrianne's proposal was alluring. Justin wasn't a big drinker, well he wasn't really a drinker at all, but he knew the numbing effect that alcohol was supposed to have on the mind and giving his thoughts a break from everything, from Alex especially, just might be exactly what he needed.

"You know what?" He asked, looking over at his companion. "You're on. Drinks, tonight."

"Fabulous!" Adrianne said, giving him a brilliant smile. "I'll see you at eight."

* * *

"**Alex**, couldn't we just eat at the sub shop?" Harper asked as the girls walked down the New York sidewalk.

"No, Harper, I want a hotdog from the vendor," Alex whined in response.

"But we've passed three vendors," Harper said as she trudged along beside Alex.

"I know, but I want one from the guy with the glass eye," Alex said as they rounded the corner.

"Oh Alex, that guy gives me the creeps," Harper said with a little shudder, "I can never tell if he's looking at me or not."

"I'm sorry, Harper, but he has the best relish," Alex replied with a shrug, "Aha! I see him!" She practically shouted a she grabbed Harper's arm and yanked her across the street toward the cart with the red and white umbrella.

"What'll it be?" The man asked.

"Yeah, hi, two dogs. Mustard, double relish," Alex ordered and dug into her pockets for a crumpled mass of bills.

"Aw, thanks, Alex," Harper said looking at her best friend.

"What?" Alex asked as she produced a wrinkled five and handed it to the man in exchange for her order, "Oh, no, these are for me. You can get whatever you want." Harper rolled her eyes, "you know, Alex you-"

"Russo?" She was cut off by a deep voice from behind them in line.

Both girls turned. Alex was already devouring one hot dog.

"Dean?" She stared at him in surprise. It had been so long since she had seen him last.

"Wow, it's been awhile," Alex said as she took in the sight of him. He was still gorgeous. Dark hair, dark eyes, and that sort of half grin that played on his lips. It really was a shame that they didn't work out. Kind of. Her mind flashed to Justin and she blushed.

"What brings you back?" She asked Dean in hopes of chasing away her inappropriate thoughts. The last time she had seen him was in one of his dreams, when they broke up properly.

"I'm working at my Uncle's garage across the street," he replied before ordering two hot dogs for himself.

"That explains the coveralls," Alex said gesturing toward his attire.

"And all the grease," Harper chimed in as she nibbled her food. Both Alex and Dean gave her a look that let her know she was a third wheel.

"Right," she mumbled and walked over to a bench to have a seat.

"You look good, Russo," Dean said with a grin.

"Thanks, I'm sure under all," she paused and gestured at his current state, "that, you're looking pretty alright yourself."

"Maybe I could take you out," Dean said, "show you that I can clean up good, you know?"

Alex froze. What did she say? It's true that she still found Dean attractive, but what about Justin? True he was miles and miles away and probably shacking up with some "bird." Yes, Alex googled British slang.

"I don't," She began, but Dean cut her off.

"Here take this," he fished into the pocket of his coveralls and produced a business card, "the garage's number is on the front. I'm there all the time. My cell's on the back. I'm gonna get gone, but you should call." With that he gave a smile and headed across the street.

"Well, that was weird," Harper said as she made her way back to Alex.

Alex stood rooted to her spot on the sidewalk staring at the card in her hand. It said "Vinny Moriarty Automotive Specialist" and gave the phone number at the bottom. She flipped the card over and recognized Dean's handwriting on the back. A faint black fingerprint of grease showed on the corner of the otherwise white card. Dean had left his mark.

"Yeah, pretty weird," Alex agreed as she shoved the card into the pocket of her jean shorts, "come on, lets head back." Together the girls began walking back in the direction they came.

"Alex?" Harper asked to get her friend's attention.

"Yeah?"

"You've got a little mustard on your cheek."

"Oh my God, are you kidding me?" Alex said in shock as she wiped at her cheeks with her hands, "was that there the whole time?"

"Pretty much," Harper replied with a smirk as she continued walking, "come on, our shift starts in two minutes and your dad will flip if we're late."

* * *

**Alex **was late. Normally this wouldn't be headline news as she doesn't trouble herself to be on time for anything, but this is the one time that Alex wished she had been. She stared down at the white stick and willed the little pink plus sign to go away. She closed her eyes, wished really hard and opened them again. The pink plus was still there and if anything it looked brighter. Alex resulted to violence in hopes of changing the out come. She shook the damn stick for all she was worth.

"Come on you little bastard! Change damn you!" She ordered. Finally she gave up. Alex allowed her body to slide down the bathroom wall and she sat on the floor, head in her hands, pregnancy test abandoned beside her. Her view of the tiled floor was suddenly a sea of tears as the salty liquid spilled forth. This was by far the most fucked up situation she had ever been in. Not only did she have screwed up feelings for her older brother, but now she was pregnant with his child. The thought made her stomach flip and the breakfast she had earlier threatened to reappear. To make matters worse she and Justin hadn't even spoken to one another since he left. He rarely called and when he did, Alex couldn't bring herself to speak to him. The conversation would only be filled with awkward small talk until he finally admitted that he found someone over in jolly, good England. Then Alex would have to tell him that she was pregnant.

No, absolutely not. She wouldn't tell him about this. She wouldn't tell anyone. In fact, she was just going to take care of it and then pretend like nothing ever happened. She was a wizard. There had to be some sort of spell that would take care of horrible mistakes like this. A sob escaped her as soon as the word mistake entered her mind. How did she let this happen? One moment. Just one moment changed everything. Her world was upside down and inside out. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been.

A knock startled Alex out of her pity party and she hastily wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"Y-yeah?" She called as she grabbed the stick off the floor and shoved it into the box.

"Are you almost done in there?" Came Max's reply, "I have to go!"

"Hold it!" Alex snapped as her eyes quickly scanned the room for evidence.

"I've been holding it!" Max whined. Alex shoved the box into the front pocket of her hoodie and unlocked the door.

"Finally!" Max breathed as he pushed past Alex to enter the room.

"Hey, watch it!" She scolded, her hand instinctively covering her abdomen. When she realized what she had done she quickly dropped her hand and stalked off to her bedroom as the bathroom door slammed shut.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I hope this segmented chapter makes up for that! As always reviews are appreciated. :)


	4. Little Secrets

**Alex** slammed the old book shut in frustration. Dust jumped out as though happy to have escaped its prison. She coughed and waved it away from her face. There was nothing in any of the books that could help her. She checked the book on wizard diseases, but "being with child" wasn't among the covered illnesses. She read about unwanted items, but again that didn't cover anything pregnancy related. Alex even checked the spells about mistakes but none of them said anything about being helpful against unplanned pregnancies. Apparently wizards are very pro-life. She looked at all the books spread out in front of her and sighed deeply. What good was being a wizard if you couldn't take care of a problem? Magic was supposed to be a fix all, damn it! Alex bit her nails as she mentally chastised herself. How did she let this happen? How could she have been so stupid? She wanted to cry, but there were no more tears left inside. Alex couldn't bring herself to wallow anymore. She just wanted it all to go away.

Despite being incredibly tired she couldn't find release in sleep as it refused to come to her. Instead she found herself staring at a computer screen into the early morning hours reading about what was happening to her body. With bloodshot eyes she researched. During this time Alex learned a lot about this little mistake of hers. She learned that week one of a pregnancy begins even before you conceive! Turns out doctors start counting from the first day of your last period. Fertilization happens around week three, implantation during week four and voila you're pregnant and you probably don't even know it! Which Alex didn't, until recently. She counted back on her fingers to see just how pregnant she was. If her calculations were correct she was probably around eight weeks along. That was two months, give or take a few days. She also learned that this was the reason her boobs and back were aching so much! It wasn't fair. She didn't ask for this. Alex had to do something and she had to do it fast before anyone found out about her dirty little secret.

The next day, dressed like a spy, complete with trench coat, black scarf covering her hair and large sunglasses, she took the subway to the other side of town, as far from Waverly Place as possible. If she was going to do this she had to get it done without being spotted. She could have used magic, but she was boycotting it. She wouldn't have to do this at all if magic had cooperated in the first place! Alex took the steps leading up the sidewalk, constantly glancing around to make sure no one was looking at her oddly. She really didn't have to worry much, it was New York and everyone had their own lives to deal with rather than worry about what anyone else was doing. Still, her heart raced as she made her way to the clinic.

Just like the news and movies portrayed, there were protestors picketing outside the door with signs that read, "Baby killers" and "Godless," as well as various bible verses. Alex stopped across the street to assess the situation. The protestors were pretty much blocking the doors not really allowing anyone into or out of the clinic without a good deal of harassment. Still, she came with a purpose and she wasn't leaving until she saw it through. Careful to look both ways Alex darted across the street and approached the gang of people. They were much louder over here.

"Abortion is murder!" The leader shouted into a megaphone and was echoed by her peers. Alex cringed slightly at the words, but straightened her back when she realized that these people had no say in what she did with her body.

"Do we want murderers on our city streets?" The leader yelled.

"Hell no, they've got to go!" Came the response. The closer Alex got the more nervous she became. She didn't know how this was going to go down, but she knew that she had to get it done.

"Out of my way!" Alex growled as she shoved through the throng of people to get to the glass doors of the clinic.

"Sinner!" People shouted at her. Alex felt hands pawing at her as she pushed by, but she was determined to make it inside.

"Slut!"

"Whore!"

Her ears were assaulted with horrible names as the group shoved back at her. Alex wrenched the door open and launched herself inside the building. The shouts were quieter once the door closed behind her. The office was relatively peaceful, rows of mostly empty chairs lined the waiting room and a nurse sat behind a glass window typing at a computer. Alex took deep breaths to compose herself as she removed the sunglasses and scarf. She made her way to the window and cleared her throat. The nurse behind the glass looked up and gave her a soft smile.

"Do you have an appointment?"

Alex swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "No, I was- I was hoping that I could just come in." The idea of making a phone call like that from her house was too risky and using her cell phone was absolutely out of the question as her parents still paid the bill. The nurse nodded and pressed some keys on the keyboard. Her eyes scanned the computer screen. Alex twisted the scarf in her hands.

"We do have an opening available for a walk in, but it's going to be a bit of a wait," the nurse explained with an apologetic look.

"That's fine," Alex replied, "I'll wait."

"I'll just need you to fill out these forms for me, honey." The nurse placed something into a bin on her side of the glass, closed the lid and a drawer opened on Alex's side revealing a clipboard with papers and a pen attached. Alex reached inside and removed the contents with shaky hands. The phone rang and the nurse gave Alex one last reassuring smile as she reached to answer it. Alex took the forms to a chair as far away from the front door as she could get and began to fill out her information.

It was almost twenty minutes later when a nurse called her back into the exam room. She had Alex put on a gown, give a urine sample, and then wait, followed by more waiting. She waited so long that by the time the doctor finally entered the room Alex had nodded off on the exam table.

"Miss Finkle?" The doctor asked with a smile. Alex bolted up into a sitting position and wiped at the side of her mouth where she had been drooling slightly.

"Wha- oh yes, that's me… Alex Finkle," Alex replied as she rubbed at her eyes. She was so nervous about someone finding out that she had been there that she lied about her name. Hopefully Harper didn't mind her borrowing her last name.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, I'm Dr. Goode." She looked young, blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes and a kind smile. Alex shook her hand and folded her hands in her lap as she waited for what came next. She tried to put on a calm face though it felt like a hummingbird had taken up refuge in her chest.

"The urine dip came back clearly positive," Dr. Goode began as she flipped through Alex's chart, "It says here that you believe yourself to be approximately eight weeks along?"

"Yes, I did some research online and I counted back and I think I am that far, I mean not far, it's not that long. Not so long that I can't take care of it, I just wanted to-"

Dr. Goode gave Alex a kind and reassuring smile, she was a professional and could obviously tell that Alex was nervous. "Well, just to be sure, we are going to do an ultrasound to verify gestational age, okay?"

Alex nodded and swallowed hard. Dr. Goode instructed her to lie back on the exam table and pull the gown up to expose her abdomen. Alex shivered slightly when the cool gel hit her belly.

"It's cold," she stated the obvious.

"I'm sorry, it will warm up in a moment," Dr. Goode placed the wand against Alex's skin and applied a gentle pressure. She moved it back and forth over her stomach and a soft whooshing sound filled the room that was shortly followed by a louder, faster thumping noise. Though she hadn't intended to look, Alex found her eyes drawn to the screen. Her womb was before her in black and grey and that repetitive thumping noise filled the room.

"What is that noise?" Alex asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the doctor.

"That's the heartbeat," Dr. Goode replied softly.

"It has a heartbeat?" Alex breathed. Her eyes locked on the image on the screen as the doctor pressed buttons on the machine in front of her.

"Yes, the heartbeat can sometimes be heard this early. It's very strong," the doctor's voice was soft.

Alex closed her eyes and listened to the sound. She allowed it to fill her until it was the only thing she could hear. The exam room, the machines, the medical instruments, and Dr. Goode all disappeared. Alex was alone with her baby. Her baby. This tiny being inside of her was very real, very alive. This baby was her. It was Justin. It was everything. That night with Justin came rushing back. The beauty. The passion. The love. It wasn't a mistake, not if something so beautiful could be the result. The heartbeat stopped as the wand was removed from Alex's tummy.

"Miss Finkle?"

"Yes?" Alex asked as she came out of her thoughts.

"The next step in the abortion process is-"

"I'm keeping it," Alex stated as she pulled her gown back over her stomach.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm keeping my baby," Alex repeated locking eyes with the doctor who nodded and pressed a button the machine next to her.

"Then you are going to want these," Dr. Goode said with a smile as she handed Alex a series of ultrasound pictures that the machine had printed. Alex accepted the pictures and held them gingerly in her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at the image of her tiny baby. It didn't look like a baby yet, it looked like a little blob, but it was hers and she loved it.

"You should be taking a prenatal vitamin, so the baby gets everything it needs. You should also eat a balanced diet. Do you have a good support system at home?"

"Thank you," Alex said looking up at the doctor as the happy tears trailed down her cheeks.

Dr. Goode didn't seem put off by Alex's thanks. Instead she smiled again and handed her patient a tissue.

"Congratulations, Miss Finkle," she said.

"Russo. My name is Alex Russo."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long gap between chapters! I hope it didn't disappoint. Thanks for reading! Please review.


	5. New and Old

**At** first it was surprising to Justin how often he found himself at the pub with Adrianne and their study group, but it gradually became a common occurrence. They spent minimal time actually studying and the rest doing shots in Professor Beeston's honor. His grades were definitely reflecting his activities, but the more he saw the low grades the easier it became to accept them. It was his first year in college, he would remind himself when he slammed his textbooks shut, and everyone struggled to make it all work at first. The best part of it was that there was no report card to send home. His parents wouldn't have to know that he was slacking. In fact, they only had to know what he told them. Justin wasn't exactly pro lying, but he could get behind evading the _whole_ truth. When they asked him how school was going he just said that school was good and told them about the friends he was making. None of that was actually a lie. School _was_ good. B's and C's were good … not great, but good. At least that was how he got to sleep at night. That and a good amount of thought numbing alcohol. He also discovered that the key to a hangover was Shepherd's pie. That hearty combination of meat and potatoes did more than any bowl of cereal ever could.

Tonight was to be no different for him than any other night previous. He spent the obligatory half hour studying for Monday's classes and was putting the finishing touches on his hair style (it really did take a lot of effort to make it look effortless) when he heard a distinctive "pop" and his room filled with a hazy purplish smoke. He jumped and his heart caught in his throat. Magic. He hadn't been around magic in what felt like ages. A wizard had just popped into his room and his mind immediately filled with Alex. A million memories marched back into his mind and his heart started a marathon in his chest. He turned to face the purple smoke and coughing, he waved it away.

"Alex?" He whispered as his eyes searched for her face. Instead of her features or sarcastic response he was faced with his uncle Kelbo in a claw footed bath tub.

"Alex? Do I look like Alex?" Uncle Kelbo asked as he tossed a ruby duck at his nephew. Justin caught the bath toy and was hardly surprised when it mooed instead of squeaked.

"No, you most certainly don't," Justin replied as he hurried to his door to lock it in case one of his friends tried coming in to get him for the night, "what are you doing here?" He asked turning back to his uncle who was now wearing a fluffy burgundy bathrobe and smoking a pipe.

"Uh, there's no smoking in here," Justin said but shook his head when he saw bubbles coming from the pipe instead of smoke.

"I'm just here to see my nephew!" Kelbo replied. "I heard you were in England for school and I thought I'd stop by. It's been awhile since I've seen the Eiffel tower anyway," he added as he pawed through Justin's school books.

"That's France, Uncle Kelbo," Justin replied as he crossed his arms.

"Right, right. Anyway, I thought we could hang out and spend some time together! I figured you were probably pretty lonely being here without any family. Though you thought I was Alex, so I guess she pops in all the time, huh?"

Justin shook his head. "No, I'm fine here. I have a lot of friends … actually I was just on my way out," he gestured to the door, "could I get a rain check on hanging out?"

Kelbo's usual smile faltered a little when he realized he was being snubbed by his nephew. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. I'm sure you've got loads to do. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thanks," Justin replied and rocked back on his heels as he waited for his uncle to pop back out of his room before he unlocked the door.

"I'll just be on my way then," Kelbo said as he pulled out his wand, "oh! I almost forgot!" He rummaged in the pockets of his bathrobe and pulled out an old, silver mirror and handed it to Justin, "here. Just in case you get lonely," he said. Justin took the handheld mirror and looked at his reflection.

"Thanks, I think?" He replied, wondering why he would need to see himself.

"It's not just for checking your hair," Kelbo said, "though you might want to run a comb through yours, it's all over the place, it's actually a magic looking glass. You just hold it and think about the person you really want to see and it lets you look in on them and see what they are doing," he explained.

"Oh wow. Cool! Thanks Uncle Kelbo," Justin said as his thoughts wandered to Alex. He quickly set the mirror down on his desk before it had a chance to activate.

"No problem," Kelbo replied, "hey, want to make a prank call?" He asked with excited eyes.

"Er, I really have to get going," Justin said giving what he hoped was an apologetic shrug.

"Right. Well, take care, Justin and if you ever want to hang out just send me a wizard message, okay?" With that Kelbo popped back out of the room. Justin let out a deep breath and unlocked his door. Once the smoke cleared his eyes fell onto the mirror. It couldn't hurt to just peek in on Alex. Just to see if she was okay. He grabbed the mirror and sat down on his bed. Holding it in both hands he closed his eyes and began to focus his thoughts on Alex. The shade of her hair, the curve of her cheek, the sound of her laugh. He was preparing himself to open his eyes when a knock sounded on his door. Startled, Justin turned in its direction, his eyes flew open. As the door pushed inward he shoved the mirror under his pillow.

"Hey," he said as Adrianne entered his room.

"Ready to go?" She asked with a smile.

Justin glanced at his pillow with longing, but reached for his jacket instead.

"Yeah, Let's go," he replied.

* * *

**Alex** rested on her bed staring at the ultrasound pictures she got from the clinic. It was still hard to believe that she had a life growing inside of her. She knew that she would eventually have to tell everyone, but she needed a plan first. Obviously she couldn't tell them the truth; they would disown her and the baby, not to mention coming clean like that would destroy Justin, too. Even though she was upset with him for shacking up with some British chick, that didn't mean she wanted to ruin his life by outing their secret. Besides, she wasn't about to admit out loud that she was pregnant with her brother's child. She wasn't stupid. She knew what that would do to her reputation. In this instance it was way better for people to just assume she was kind of trampy than to think she was some freak who got it on with her brother, even though that is exactly what she was. Alex had done research into the early morning hours about the possibilities of birth defects in her child and none of the information she found was conclusive one way or the other so she eventually gave up looking. It didn't matter in the end anyway. She was keeping her child no matter what. Despite the seriousness of her situation she was trying to keep a level head. The only tears she cried now were over mildly sad TV commercials (the hormone thing was pretty bad.) Hearing the baby's heartbeat and seeing the photos made it all more real and she knew that she had to keep her stress level down as much as possible, for the baby's sake. Of course, hiding such a big secret from so many people was making that a difficult task, but she was managing.

Alex got off her bed and walked over to her dresser to hide the pictures. Even though it was cliché she hid them in her underwear drawer. As she was sliding them under her delicates she spotted the business card Dean had given her. It was tossed in a basket among her bangle bracelets, hair ties, and necklaces. She picked it up and flipped it over. Dean's cell number stood out in bright blue ink against the white card and she felt a pang of loneliness. Alex hadn't been out in a long time. She ignored the party flyers that flooded the school hallways and she rejected date invitations from boys. Nothing could compare to her night with Justin and she knew it, yet she was incredibly lonely. She might be pregnant, but she was still an eighteen year old girl who needed some fun in her life.

She carried Dean's card and sat down on the edge of her bed. She wouldn't really be doing anything wrong if she gave him a call. He seemed like he had been really happy to see her that day by the hot dog vendor. Alex picked up her cell phone and began to dial his number. Of course, he had no idea that she was knocked up. Was it fair to lead him on when she knew that there was no way it could go any further? With a frustrated growl Alex ended her call as it was on its second ring. She couldn't do that to him no matter how badly she wanted a night out. Alex tossed her cell aside and raked her fingers through her dark hair. She stood up and stalked to the full length mirror in the corner of her room. Lifting her tank top she stared at her stomach. It was still as flat as always. There were no visual signs that she was pregnant, but they were coming. She pushed her stomach out as far as she could and arched her back slightly to see what she might look like later.

"Yikes," she mumbled not particularly liking the look, "you are not going to make things easy for me are you?" She whispered to her unborn child as she returned to her normal stance. She was running her hand over her abdomen when her cell phone interrupted the silence. Startled out of her thoughts, Alex reached for the phone and recognized the number as being Dean's. He was returning the call? She hadn't expected that. She bit her bottom lip and quickly weighed the options. She could answer and admit that she had hung up, or she could ignore it and any other calls to come after. Alex's gaze traveled from the phone to the mirror again and a vision of a huge pregnant belly filled her mind. She would never be able to go out again once she looked like that and definitely not after the baby was born.

"Hello?" Alex accepted the call.

"Russo?"

"Yeah, Dean, it's me," Alex sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Decided to let me take you out huh?"

Alex could hear the smile in his voice and the corners of her mouth turned upward ever so slightly, still cocky as ever.

"I figured why the hell not, I've got nothing better to do tonight," Alex replied with a laugh. It was easy to fall back into this routine and that was dangerous.

"Alright then, dress nice because I'm taking you out for Italian," Dean replied.

"Naturally," Alex replied, "I'll see you here at seven. And Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be late," she said and hung up. Alex set her phone aside and took a deep cleansing breath. She had to remind herself that this was a good thing. It will do her good to get out of the house and into a distraction. A tall, handsome distraction.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all the great comments! I really appreciate them. Keep them coming. :)


	6. Distractions

Justin was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. Adrianne was telling a story about one of her professors and it wasn't actually that funny, but the alcohol consumption had made him loopy. Plus her facial expressions were priceless.

"Every time she turned around to address the class her arse erased the board!" Adrianne snorted into her beer. Justin had to rest his head on the table to make the pub stop spinning. His chuckles finally subsided and he slowly raised his head to survey the table. Most of their friends had already departed for the evening, and Lawson was chatting up the bartender.

"What time is it?" He asked blinking in an attempt to clear his eyes as he stared blankly at his watch.

"Who cares?" Adrianne laughed and downed the last contents of her glass. Before he could stop himself Justin erupted into another laugh with her. He swirled the amber liquid and watched it circle his mug. He lost count of how many he'd had throughout the night, but he was feeling good.

"Hey. Justin. Hello?"

He looked up at Adrianne who was staring at him with expectant eyes.

"What?"

She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

"You're so gone," she chuckled, "I asked if you wanted to get out of here." With that she let her hand fall onto his arm. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or what, but her touch was awesome. It felt like her fingertips were made of silk and his nerves stood on end like a dog begging for a treat. His gaze shifted from her hand up to her face. She was lightly biting her bottom lip, her cherry gloss long gone having decorated many glass rims throughout the night. Her blue eyes looked mysterious shielded by her blonde curls that shone like honey in the faint pub light.

"Yeah," he murmured and gave her a smile.

* * *

Dean looked amazing. Alex hadn't expected him to show up in a suit. She assumed that "Italian" meant pizza and breadsticks. She had originally chosen a pair of black trousers and a cream colored sweater, but after seeing his outfit she quickly did the Freeze Frame spell and zapped on a little black dress with a plunging neckline and low back; simple, but classic.

"Wow, Russo," Dean breathed when he laid eyes on her, "you look- that dress is-" he had no words.

"Oh this? I just threw it on." Alex smiled nonchalantly as she grabbed her coat, "so where are we off to?" She asked as Dean held the door for her and they made their way down to the taxi that was waiting. Alex could feel his eyes on her and she had to admit that she liked it. She almost forgot what it was like to feel desirable.

"Pane Bello" Dean replied as she slid into the taxi's backseat. Alex arched her eyebrows at that as Dean gave the driver the address. It was definitely not pizza and breadsticks then. Pane Bello was one of the pricier restaurants in the area. Dean wasn't holding back tonight it seemed. Not wanting to appear overly impressed or excited, Alex decided to respond with a noncommittal, but hopefully interested sounding "hmm."

The dinner had been amazing. Pane Bello definitely deserved the rave reviews it received. Now they arrived at the loft apartment above his uncle's business where Dean lived. Despite being above a mechanic's garage the apartment didn't smell like oil, gasoline, or car exhaust and for that Alex was grateful. The last thing she wanted to do was upchuck on his carpet. She was definitely more sensitive to smells. She was pleasantly surprised that Dean's bachelor pad didn't actually look like a single guy lived there. It was clean and cozy. Yes, the decor was severely lacking, but he was a guy after all. Alex was just happy that it wasn't littered with empty pizza boxes, beer cans, and nudie magazines.

"Have a seat," Dean said gesturing to the couch as he shrugged out of his suit jacket, "sorry it's not much to look at. My aunt let me have it when I started renting this place from her and my uncle," he explained. Alex folded her coat over the couch's arm before taking a seat.

"It's great," she replied and gave a little bounce on it to emphasize, "springy." Dean smiled and glanced toward the kitchen.

"Make yourself comfortable," he began, "I've got a surprise for you." With that he headed into the kitchen and flipped on the light. Alex couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear him shuffling through the contents in his refrigerator. She quickly looked around for a place to dispose of this surprise as she was quite positive that it was an alcoholic beverage. Dean wouldn't accept that she wasn't drinking before twenty-one because that never stopped her before when they were dating. While she searched she heard the unmistakable sound of a blender. Her eyebrows arched slightly at that. She had been expecting a beer or wine cooler. Was he in there whipping up a daiquiri? Shifting her position Alex glanced around the apartment. It was actually really cool that he had his own place. It was small, but nice. His bed was situated in the back corner, under a high placed window and separated from the rest of the apartment by a black room divider. The walls were eggshell white and empty. Dean hadn't hung up any photos or artwork, but in her mind, Alex was filling them paintings. It was really weird to see how much he had grown up since they had dated. He had a job and was paying his way through life. He wasn't quite the same tough slacker she remembered.

Alex heard Dean enter the room and she turned to greet him. She was surprised once again by what she saw.

"Milk shakes?" She asked as she gently accepted the glass he held out to her.

"Yeah," Dean replied giving her a sheepish grin as he sat down beside her on the couch, "double chocolate with whipped cream on the bottom," he added, "I remember that you used to really like them that way."

Alex was at a loss for words as she held onto the cold glass. Her eyes shifted from his face to the dessert in her hands.

"I didn't know if you wanted a straw or a spoon, so I gave you both," Dean added as he scooped a bit of his shake into his mouth and avoided eye contact.

"This-"Alex started as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass.

"It's stupid, isn't it?" Dean asked, his shoulders slumping.

"No, it's not stupid," Alex replied quickly, "it's actually really sweet and kind of amazing." Tears were threatening to show in her eyes, but she willed them away. Stupid hormones.

"I can't believe you remembered."

"I remember everything about you, Russo," Dean replied, looking over at her with dark, smoldering eyes. Alex's breath caught in her throat and she broke eye contact first. Her heart was racing, but her mind was running faster if that was possible. She didn't know what she had expected to happen with Dean when she accepted a date, but she didn't know if she could sit here and lead him on like this. He obviously wanted more than she was willing to give. She set the glass down on the coffee table in front of her and turned her body to face him. He placed his shake beside hers and mimicked her position on the couch.

"Dean," she began.

"Wait," Dean interrupted reaching over to push her hair behind her ear, "before you say anything... just let me do something that I've been thinking about since I first saw you tonight." Without waiting for a response he pulled her face toward him and met her lips with his own. The kiss was tender and sweet, but sensual. Alex felt his fingers weave their way into the hair at the back of her head holding her close. Her eyes closed and she fell into his kiss.

* * *

The door to Justin's dorm room burst open and slammed against the wall. He blindly groped for the light switch with one hand while his other arm was snaked around Adrianne's slender waist. Her breath was hot and moist as she sucked and licked his neck. He managed to flip the light on with a little effort in the coordination department. His skin was on fire and his hands were on the move as he turned his full attention back to Adrianne. Turning his head in her direction his lips made contact with hers in a series of hot, open mouth kisses. Their tongues switching back and forth between caressing each other and fighting for dominance as Justin boldly moved his hand up to grab her breast. Adrianne gave an exaggerated moan in response. He never would have acted so directly with any woman without the excessive help of alcohol and at the moment he was thanking beer. Adrianne's hands moved from his back down to his ass and squeezed. Justin's eyes flew open and he pulled away.

"Ouch," he muttered in mock pain.

"Sorry, you have such a fantastic arse," she replied with heavy breathing and a smile, "I've been dying to get my hands on it."

Justin raised an eyebrow, reached over and closed his door with a thud behind them.

"Well that's something we have in common then," he said as he pulled his T-shirt over his head.

"You've been dying to get your hands on your arse, too?" Adrianne asked with a cheeky grin as she began backing away from him toward the bed while unbuttoning her blouse to reveal her pale skin and an amazing lacy, white bra that barely contained her breasts.

"Funny," Justin replied dryly as he took in the sight of her, his hands already tugging at his belt buckle and zipper. She let her shirt fall to the floor at her feet before she began sliding off her own jeans. Justin stumbled slightly as he tried to untangle himself from the mound of clothing around his ankles. Adrianne giggled. Justin closed the space between them and silenced her with a hard kiss before pushing her down onto his bed.

* * *

Alex tangled her fingers up into Dean's hair and held him close as they made out on his couch. His hands slid down her back and sent chills across her skin. Gently he urged her to lie back and she complied until he was above her. Dean's hand traveled down her bare arm before seamlessly switching to her hip and down the outside of her thigh. He found the hem of her dress and slipped his hand beneath to make contact with her skin. All the while Alex never broke their series of kisses. It felt so good to be touched again. She didn't want him to stop. He caressed up her thigh and around to grip her behind. Alex raised her body to allow him better access whimpering slightly as he applied a little pressure. She allowed her hands to travel from his hair and neck down to the front of his shirt. Her fingers made quick work of the buttons before pushing it away from his body. Dean removed his hands from her and sat up in order to pull the shirt off completely and toss it aside. He stared down at her with passion filled eyes.

"You are so beautiful," he said, "I wanna do this right." He stood up and offered her his hand.

"Is there a wrong way?" She replied confused. He made a motion with his hand and she took it in hers and stood up. Dean led her to the bed behind the divider and Alex was greeted by a bouquet of roses on top of the nightstand.

"Wow, you were pretty confident, huh?" She asked with a smirk as she turned to look at him.

"Hopeful," he replied as he pulled her toward him again and kissed her mouth tenderly.

"Uh huh," Alex muttered against his lips. She began to unbuckle his belt as she felt his fingers find the zipper on her dress. She was suddenly grateful to be wearing a sexy pair of panties. Dean pushed the dress from her shoulders and she stood mostly naked before him. He gently ran his hands over her neck and shoulders taking in the sight of her before he lifted her in his arms and placed her on the bed.

* * *

Justin wasted no time in removing Adrianne's bra and panties. Though his buzz was wearing off his lust was raging. They rolled around on his bed groping, grabbing, and exchanging sexy growls and groans. The kissing was limited, but when their lips did connect the kisses were fierce. Justin was quite certain that his lips would be bruised the next day, but he didn't care. He wanted to lose himself inside her. The perfect escape. But his mind had other plans. Alex plans.

* * *

In the faint glow from the lamp beside the bed Alex could almost pretend that Dean was Justin. It wasn't that she didn't find Dean attractive, that would be ridiculous. The guy was obviously hot and the teen in her would always be attracted to him, but there was something about the romance and the intimacy of the moment that made her heart ache for Justin. She wanted nothing more than to be lying in bed with him kissing her, him touching her. Alex allowed her mind to wander to thoughts of Justin as Dean began to move above her. When she felt him enter her she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck and disappeared.

* * *

Every touch from Adrianne was so different from Alex's. Every time she spoke her accent screamed that she wasn't Alex. Justin found himself tuning her out entirely and remembering the softness of Alex's whispers in his ear instead. When he looked into Adrianne's eyes he was so disappointed that they weren't Alex's that he started to pretend they were brown instead of blue. The most distracting element was Adrianne's silky blonde hair. No matter how he tried he couldn't change those golden tresses to a deep chestnut brown. Instead he closed his eyes and imaged that it was Alex moving beneath him meeting his thrusts. That was when he felt it. Something changed. The mood was different. He slowed his movements, opened his eyes and what he saw took his breath away.

"Alex?" He didn't know how, but she was really there. Her big brown eyes staring up at him, her arms around his neck with her fingers tangled into his hair. She looked just as shocked and confused as he felt. Instead of responding to him verbally, Alex leaned up and kissed him. A deep, sensual, needing kiss. Their tongues met and fireworks exploded throughout their bodies. Justin melted into her and she accepted him eagerly, hungrily. Their lips pulled against each other with a white hot desire. She wrapped her legs around him, gripped his shoulders tightly and moaned with each thrust. Justin rested his forehead against Alex's as he moved, wanting to be as close to her as possible. Their breath mingled as they moaned softly against each other.

"Alex," Justin groaned, "I can't hold back." He stared down into her eyes looking for approval. She gave a small nod, but didn't break eye contact as he began pounding into her. Justin came and at the moment of release was immediately filled with a sense of absolute bliss. He collapsed against Alex, breathing heavily against her neck with closed eyes.

"I miss you," she whispered. The first words she uttered during this moment they were sharing.

Justin opened his eyes and lifted himself to look at her, "I lov-" he stopped short when he saw Adrianne looking back at him with bewildered eyes.

* * *

"I missed you, too," Dean replied and kissed Alex deeply before rolling onto his back. He placed one hand behind his head and looked over at her as she pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

"I was worried that you weren't enjoying yourself for a minute there," Dean said, "you sort of drifted away, but when I asked if you were okay you gave me a nod, so I kind of went for it." He was quiet for a moment, but then he asked, "you did enjoy it, right?"

Alex was startled by the question, but recovered quickly enough to reassure him, "yeah, totally."

"Good, good," Dean replied, "now, how about those shakes?" He smiled over at her before getting up from the bed and walking stark naked over to the coffee table to retrieve their desserts.

"What the hell just happened?" Alex whispered very quietly to herself.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up and running for your reading pleasure! I hope that it made up for the absence! As always, please read and review! I'm quite interested in hearing what you think.


	7. Truth Be Told

Alex was strolling down the sidewalk hand in hand with Dean as he talked about … something. She was having trouble focusing lately. Not only was the incident of Justin's mysterious appearance from the week before still lingering, but her secret was weighing on her mind. Alex knew she had to come clean. She couldn't carry on with this… whatever this was… with Dean any longer without letting him know the truth. It was time to take responsibility.

"Something wrong, Russo?"

Alex looked up from her shoes and into Dean's eyes. He looked genuinely concerned.

"I have to tell you something," she said leading him to a nearby bench. Dean sat beside her, but looked visibly uncomfortable. Alex could see familiar mannerisms returning. The shifting gaze, the slouching posture and the 'I'm too cool to care' facial expression. His guard was up. Dean was clearly worried about what she had to say and was apparently preparing to shrug it off. Maybe that was for the best.

Alex shifted so she was facing him on the bench and pushed her hair behind her ears. It was going to be hard to say these words out loud. She hadn't told anyone yet, not even Harper.

"So, what is it?" Dean asked. "There another guy?"

Yes. Alex's eyes widened when he asked the question. Her mind immediately rushing to Justin. Her brother's smiling, dorky face filling her thoughts. Yes there was another guy and she was pretty sure that they made love a week ago… somehow?

"No," Alex forced herself to say and shook her head, "well not exactly. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

"You like chicks?" Now it was Dean's turn to look surprised. His face then showed a mix of two emotions… the typical 'this is hot' expression that guys wore when lesbians were mentioned followed quickly by the 'oh my god I'm being dumped for a girl' look.

"What? No, I don't like _chicks_," Alex replied bunny quoting the word chicks.

"I'm trying to say that I'm pregnant!" She finally said in a loud whisper. A couple people glanced their way, but Alex waved the eyes away with a flick of her hand. Dean's eyebrows shot up in an attempt to meet his hairline, but he remained silent. Shocked silent.

"Listen, it wasn't planned or anything," Alex said, uncomfortable with the resounding silence, "it just happened. I mean, accidents happen. Just this morning I was pouring a glass of juice and the glass slipped out of my hand and I ended up pouring OJ all over the counter and my mom was all 'Alex!' and my Dad was all 'I'll get a straw' and I was all 'ew, dad, gross' and Max-"

"I'm gonna be a dad?" Dean interrupted. Alex was so startled by him finally speaking that his words didn't quite register at the time.

"You're gonna be a what now?" She said.

"A dad. A father. I'm gonna have a kid!" Dean's face suddenly broke into a grin like Alex had never seen before.

"I can't believe it, Russo. We only did it the one time, but I guess my guys are just that good." Dean's posture changed instantly to something more puffed up with pride. He turned toward her and grabbed her hands. Now it was Alex's turn to be too stunned to speak. He thought it was his baby? How could he possibly think that it was his child? They only did it a week ago. And they used protection. It's true that Dean was never exactly the sharpest tool, but even he had to know how basic biology worked. Then again the basics really were girl meets guy, they do it, girl ends up pregnant. Alex could see how he could be misled. But still! He thought it was his kid and he was … happy about it?

"What? What is it?" Dean asked, his eyes searching her face, a smile still on his lips, "what's wrong? You're looking at me like I'm nuts or something."

What did she say? It's not yours? It's the love child of a night of passion that I shared on a roof with my brother? Alex didn't plan for this reaction. She had no idea what to say or how to explain it.

"I'm just so happy that you're so happy," she finally replied.

"A baby, Russo this is great," Dean said and gave her hands a squeeze, "my ma is gonna be friggin' excited. She's been wantin' a grandkid forever."

"Forever?" Alex asked. "You're barely out of high school and she's been wanting a grandchild forever?"

"Yeah, the Moriarty's start early." Dean smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek. He stood up from the bench and pulled her up with him.

"Come on, let's go celebrate or something," he said pulling her along down the sidewalk, "what does my baby want to do?" Dean placed his hand on Alex's stomach and she quickly pushed it away, but so he wouldn't take that the wrong way she made it look like she intended to hold it instead.

"I don't know what your.. baby.. wants to do," she replied and looked around to make sure no one she knew was eavesdropping.

"Ice cream sounds good," Dean said, "pregnant chicks love ice cream right? And pickles?" He was running at the mouth and Alex was tuning him out. How did things just go from bad to worse in a matter of seconds? Then again, how often does a girl who gets pregnant by her brother, whom she is in love with, manage to find a guy willing to claim the baby as his? If she had to put money on an answer she would say, never. This whole thing could be a blessing in disguise. A way to get the secret out in the open in a more acceptable fashion. Alex looked up at Dean as they walked and he talked. This could be fine. He really was a nice enough guy.

"Plus, your boobs are gonna get huge!" He said and gestured with his free hand.

_A nice enough guy_. Alex forced the thought again.

* * *

"Justin, we need to talk," Adrianne said as she stormed into his dorm room. Justin had been sitting at his desk tapping his pen on its polished surface while blankly staring at his open text book, but jumped when the girl burst through the door.

"Adrianne, knock! Please! I could have been au natural," Justin exclaimed covering himself with his pen and failing. He had pretty much avoided her for a solid week. They saw each other briefly on campus, but he always had an excuse to run off before any real conversation could take place. Of course now he had forgotten to lock his damn door and he had no where to run and absolutely no excuse not to speak with her.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," she replied curtly as her hands came to rest on her slender hips, "or have you forgotten out little tryst here?" Of course Justin knew better than to answer that. He might not have a lot of experience where women were concerned, but he knew that when their eyes spit fire and their mouths spewed venomous words he was to leave rhetorical questions alone. Instead he chose to cast his eyes at the floor. The carpet design was incredibly intricate.

"You owe me an explanation, a big one," Adrianne demanded.

"I'm sorry I haven't called, or shown up to study group," he replied as he twisted his pen cap, "I've just been distracted."

"By this Alex person?" She asked. Justin's head snapped up and he stared at her, his mouth opening and closing but no words forming. How did she know about Alex?

"I.. who.. how..?" Justin stumbled and stuttered. He stood up from his chair and crossed the room to his dresser and began straightening his things. Justin had to keep his hands busy in order to form coherent thoughts.

"Wha," his voice cracked slightly and he coughed to clear his throat, "what do you mean?" That's what he came up with? He was in trouble.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Adrianne tossed her hands in the air. "I mean are you distracted by this Alex fellow and if so, why on earth did you shag me if you're gay?"

Justin whirled around to face her, his eyes huge saucers in their sockets. Gay! She thought he was gay?

"Gay! Wh- what do you mean, gay?"

"Now that I know, it really is quite obvious," Adrianne said crossing her arms over her chest, "you spend more time on your hair than any other university bloke I know."

"My hair?" Justin reached up to touch his brunette strands.

"Also calling me 'Alex' during, what turned into a rather intimate session of sex, is a pretty big giveaway," Adrianne continued. Justin was too shocked to say anything.

"Don't get me wrong," the girl said holding up a hand, "I have absolutely nothing against homosexuality, I think it's perfectly acceptable, however I refuse to be someone's beard!" She huffed.

"Beard?" Justin asked.

"Yes, beard," Adrianne replied and rolled her eyes, "oh please, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. A beard. A gay man's 'girlfriend' who he keeps around for appearances when he doesn't want anyone to know he's gay."

Justin couldn't handle it anymore and he finally sat down on his bed with a dazed expression on his face.

"Oh," Adrianne finally said softly raising a hand to her mouth, "is it possible that you weren't actually sure that you were gay yet? Were you coming to university to experiment and find yourself?" She sat down on the bed beside him.

"Oh! I've just been nasty to you and you didn't even know! You poor thing. I feel just terrible." Adrianne wrapped her arms around Justin and squeezed. He was more than a little confused. She had just done a complete turn around in mood.

"So wait, if I knew I was gay you'd be furious with me, but because I don't know you're fine?" He risked asking.

"Of course!" Adrianne exclaimed.

"Of course…" Justin repeated. This was a disaster! He couldn't go around on campus with everyone thinking he was gay. Then again he couldn't really tell Adrianne the truth. If she was planning on ripping his head off for being gay and having sex with her then she would undoubtedly go into a rage if she knew it was actually his little sister he was imagining. It was imaginary, right? Alex couldn't have really been there. And yet it had felt so unbelievably real. Her taste, her touch, her smell. It was all there. All the same. All very Alex. It was one of the best moments he had had since he moved and it had all been fake. It had to have been. It couldn't have been real because after he came and finally opened his eyes it was Adrianne who was staring back at him. Of course the look of absolute confusion in her eyes made complete sense now that she thinks he's gay and he was saying the name of some forbidden lover. Which was partly true. Alex was most certainly forbidden.

"Justin?" Adrianne said cutting into his thoughts.

"Hmm?" He asked looking over at her. Her arms still firmly wrapped around him.

"I was telling you that if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here for you."

"Oh," he replied, "right. Thanks." They were silent for the briefest of moments before she chimed in again.

"So who is he? Tell me everything. Where did you meet? Does he know you like him? Is he gorgeously handsome? Most gay men are you know. What am I saying, of course _you_ know!" Adrianne giggled.

Oh dear Lord.

* * *

A/N: Again, sorry for the delay! I recently got a job and had to deal with a sickness... please forgive me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, let me know what you think. I love reading what you have to say... and if you haven't commented on any chapters yet, make this one your first! :)


	8. Wrapped In A Lie

"So, tell me all about him," Adrianne said as she sipped from her tea cup. Justin sighed and swirled his black coffee. His eyes searched the campus through the window, wishing to be anywhere but where he was. The two sat at a small table inside the university's on site coffee and tea house with her staring at him intently waiting for all kinds of details that he couldn't provide. Justin wasn't the best at coming up with stories on the fly. He licked his lips and drained the rest of his coffee in one gulp.

"I'm out here, I think I'm going to go up and grab another cup… do you want something? A scone? Anything?" Justin started to stand when he felt Adrianne's hand on his wrist. He looked at her and she shook her head.

"No way you're getting away that easy again," she said and gestured for him to sit back down. "You better start talking or I'm going to just fill in the story myself and you just might not like what I come up with." She was teasing him of course, but part of Justin really didn't want her coming up with anything on his behalf.

"Okay," he said finally as he set his cup down and sat back in his chair, "it started last summer-"

"Ooh, a summer romance! That's always interesting," Adrianne squealed. Justin raised an eyebrow. Apparently she was going to constantly interrupt him.

"Right, well … I guess it wasn't just the summer. I mean part of me has always been drawn to he… him," Justin squirmed a little in his chair. It was going to be harder to do this than he thought.

"We basically grew up together."

"And your parents wouldn't approve?" Adrianne cut in again. Justin scoffed at the very idea and shook his head.

"Definitely not. To them, I'm sure this is the ultimate sin," He said.

"Oh that's so sad, but soooo romantic! It's like Romeo and Juliet and their forbidden love.. except in your case it's Romeo and Romeo I suppose." Adrianne really was having too much fun with this. Yet, it was actually nice to have an opportunity to bare his soul to another human being. A way to get it all off his chest and not be judged.

"Exactly," Justin sat forward in his chair and leaned his elbows on the table, "it's not like we did anything to deliberately disobey them, it just happened. You can't help who you fall in love with, right?"

"Absolutely not. You're free to love whomever you choose and your parents are going to just have to accept that." Adrianne replied. Justin thought on that for a moment, but said nothing.

"What does he look like?" She asked, "I'm incredibly curious. Do you have a photograph?"

Justin had many photographs of Alex, but of course that wouldn't work for this discussion.

"No, I don't have a picture, but I can tell you… she's, I mean he's… sorry, force of habit," Justin quickly corrected and was happy when Adrianne waved him on. She seemed to have an understanding that he had been hiding behind a façade of straightness all his life and for this conversation Justin was grateful for her understanding, no matter how far off it really was.

"He's beautiful," he finally said and though the pronoun was all wrong it was a great feeling to finally say the word out loud. "Just beautiful. Long, dark, silky hair. There were times when the sunlight would catch it just right and I swear it was like a shining crown around a gorgeous face. Dark eyes, deep brown, but warm you know?" Justin looked at his beverage partner and found her absolutely transfixed by his words. He took that as a sign to continue.

"But it's really more than just looks. Whenever I'm with Alex I'm happy. Even when we are arguing and it seems like we're at each other's throats I'm just thrilled to be there. That probably doesn't make any sense," Justin sighed.

"I used to think that I hated Alex and I thought I wanted to get as far away as possible, but last summer when we," he paused, "when we…"

Adrianne looked at him expectantly.

"You what?"

"You know, we … did, stuff," Justin reached back and rubbed his neck with his hand. He hadn't admitted that to anyone and it felt like a betrayal of Alex's trust to say it.

"You had se-"

"We had a wonderful night together," Justin interrupted, not wanting Adrianne to ruin it by not using the proper word to describe the night. It was more than sex. They made love. It was powerful, it was beautiful, and it felt right. It was more than just sex.

"It was the night before I left to come here and we haven't talked about it since. I haven't talked to Alex at all, but I can't get that night out of my head. And I don't want to, but now it has been so long, I worry that…" he trailed off.

"That _he_ has forgotten about you and moved on?" Adrianne finished. Justin nodded but stared down at the coffee grounds that decorated the bottom of his cup.

"You love Alex, don't you?" She asked softly. "I thought maybe that it was a fling and that it was just a crush from back home, but the way you talk about him it's so much more than that. I haven't seen you look this happy about anything since we've met. I've also never seen you look so heartbroken. You have to talk to him, Justin. You can't let yourself go on not knowing how he feels about you," Adrianne explained and rested her hand on his across the table.

"I wouldn't know what to say," Justin admitted with a little shrug.

"Say what you just told me," Adrianne replied as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

* * *

A/N: Thought I'd give Justin his own, short moment. :)


	9. Countdown to Big Things

Later that night Justin sat in his dorm thinking about his conversation with Adrianne. He felt sort of guilty about deceiving the girl, but he saw the fire in her eyes when she was pissed at him before and he was not about to go down that road again. Not if he could help it. Besides being able to talk to her about Alex was liberating. When you're in love with your sister there really was go good way to talk about your feelings. Yet he still didn't feel right. Adrianne thinks he should tell Alex how he feels. Get it all off his chest once and for all, but what if she didn't feel the same way? What if she felt like that night on the roof had been a mistake? What if him outing his feelings changed everything?

He decided to wait. He only had a couple weeks of school left before finals and if he shut himself in his room and did nothing but study there was a slim chance that he might actually be able to pass his classes. After he was sure he had secured decent grades then, and only then, would he allow himself to think about what he would say to Alex.

* * *

Alex sat curled up on Dean's couch eating straight from a carton of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked and watching crappy Monday night television. Dean sat next to her asking questions about the various plot points of the shows and Alex did her best to answer them, but spent most of her time "shhing" him. When the show finally ended Alex went to grab for the remote, but Dean beat her to it. He snatched the control and tossed it out of reach.

"Why can't we tell our parents yet?" Dean asked pointedly.

"Tell our parents…" Alex feigned ignorance. She had been putting off telling anyone about the pregnancy because she wanted to avoid the inevitable questions. She hadn't been able to come up with believable answers yet.

"About the baby," Dean replied, "it's been two weeks, Russo. Shouldn't we start telling people?"

"Oh," Alex fumbled for a reasonable response, but came up short. "I was hoping that we could just keep it to ourselves for a little while," she finally said. She mentally scolded herself. _Until when, Alex? Until you're as big as a house? Or until your water breaks?_ She wasn't going to be able to hide it much longer. She was three months along in her pregnancy and she was already noticing a physical change in her body, but she was able to hide it with oversized sweaters. Which was great for school, but hiding it at home was considerably harder.

"Come on, Russo," Dean said giving her a hurt expression, "I want to tell my parents. I want to tell your parents. This is big news." To his credit Dean had been keeping the secret for longer than Alex had a right to ask of him. It wasn't fair to get him all excited about something and then tell him to keep it to himself. She pushed the melting ice cream around in the carton with her spoon before setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. She bit her thumb nail as she searched her brain for a reasonable time frame.

"One week," she finally decided, "give me one more week to … prepare myself. Then we can tell our parents. How's that?" Alex searched Dean's face and was relieved when she saw him smile.

"Okay, Russo. One week. But I get to make the announcement, deal?" He asked.

"Deal," Alex agreed and held her hand out for a hand shake. Dean took her hand, but instead of shaking it he pulled her toward him and planted a kiss on her lips.

* * *

The next week flew by for Justin. Playing catch up in school was a lot harder than he anticipated. It was no wonder all the slackers in high school gave up rather than put forth any of the effort necessary. He practically lived at his desk. He barely remembered to shower and often fell asleep on top of his notebooks and as a result ran off to class with ink smeared across his cheek in the mornings. Justin excused himself from his study group and apologized to Adrianne. She seemed to understand his need to improve his grades and left him alone for the most part only coming by once in awhile to remind him to eat or to ask to borrow his notes for Beeston's class. Before he knew it he was staring down the barrel of finals week. Having met with his professors prior to beginning his epic study sessions he knew exactly what he had to get on his exams in order to pass each class and he was determined to do it.

He was in the middle of studying for his history exam when he heard a knock on the door. Justin looked up from his notes, glanced at the clock and realized that he had been going at it for almost four hours straight. His eyes hurt, his back hurt from hunching over his desk and he really could use a break.

"Come in," he called toward the door. Adrianne stepped into the room and immediately her nose wrinkled in a look of disgust.

"Good Lord, Justin," she said and pinched her nose with her fingers, "it smells awful in here. When was the last time you bathed? Or did a load of wash?" She asked and attempted to push his dirty clothes around on his bed in order to find a spot to sit down. She finally settled on perching just on the edge.

"Sorry," he apologized as he stood from his chair, "ow, ow, ow," he groaned as he forced himself to stand up straight and stretch. He reached high into the air, his fingertips almost touching the ceiling, his white t-shirt rising to reveal his pale, firm stomach and the top of his striped boxers peeking from under his jeans. Adrianne's eyes locked onto the exposed skin and she gave an exaggerated sigh.

"It really is a shame that you're into men," she said leaning back on her hands, but regretting it when her fingers came in contact with a pair of pajama pants, "you have an amazing body."

Justin felt a blush creep up his neck at the compliment. Apparently Adrianne thinking he was gay gave her the idea that she could pay him bold compliments and they wouldn't affect him. He cleared his throat and began busying himself with gathering his dirty laundry into a basket. Adrianne watched him for a short while before she spoke.

"So, did you talk to him yet?"

"No," Justin replied not having to ask who the girl was referring to this time. She was starting to become more obsessed with thoughts of Alex than he was.

"Why not?"

"I want to focus on school and getting my grades back to where they should be, or at least in the vicinity," Justin replied feeling annoyed with her badgering him. Part of him knew that he was putting it off, but the other part of him wanted to feel more like his old self when he spoke with Alex. That was the guy he was that night on the roof and he wanted to feel that way again. Slacking off all this time had changed him into someone he barely recognized.

"Ho hum," Adrianne replied and tossed her honey blonde hair over her shoulder, "I think you're scared."

"Of course I'm scared!" Justin snarled, "this is a big deal, Adrianne. This is my life!"

Adrianne's blue eyes opened wide at his tone.

"Excuse me?"

"This is my life you're constantly harassing me about," Justin began, "not some soap opera that you can tune into whenever you're bored. I'll talk to Alex when I'm good and ready and when I do, trust me, you'll be the last to know."

Adrianne's eyes went from wide set to narrow in less than a second and she stood up from his bed.

"Well," she said with a clipped voice, "I can see that I'm not wanted here. You're being incredibly rude." Her voice trailed off as she smoothed her hair and walked toward the door. As she left Justin was about to apologize, but he didn't see anything wrong with what he had said. She was prying into his life and he didn't need that right now. Instead of responding to her Justin slammed his door shut and locked it for good measure. Turning back to his desk he sighed deeply, but perked up when he spotted a package of cookies sitting on the floor next to his chair.

"Dinner," he mumbled reaching for the bag and plopping back into his study seat.

* * *

A/N: Getting back to a more familiar Justin! Yay! I know that 3 months is early for most women to be showing during a first pregnancy, but I know that it is not completely unheard of… so I went with it! Thanks for reading! More to come soon! As usual, comments are appreciated!

Sorry this took so long to post. For some reason the site won't let me upload new documents and I had to find a way around it. Anyone else having this problem with their accounts?


	10. Mirror, Mirror

**Alex** spent all day picking out an outfit for her evening out with Dean and their families. She had promised to let him have control over how they broke the news, but she hadn't been expecting him to make as big a deal out of it as he was planning. He had made reservations for everyone, including Max and Harper, at yet another fancy restaurant in the area. She had no idea how he was able to afford this kind of stuff on a mechanic's salary, but she suspected that credit cards were involved. She selected a black dress decorated with white polka dots and accented with a high waist and a thin, fire engine red sash. The skirt of the dress fanned out enough so that it helped conceal the tiny baby bump she had developed. Even though they were telling the families, she wasn't exactly ready to flaunt it loud and proud. Alex pulled her hair away from her face, which was looking fuller and softer. If anyone mentioned a pregnancy glow after tonight she would probably smack them. It was too cheesy to even think about let alone hear from someone else. Though she did have to admit… her skin did look kind of amazing. She finished off her look with some make-up and a red clutch to match the sash at her waist. Alex surveyed herself in the full length mirror on the back of her door and gave an approving nod. She looked pretty adorable.

Alex bounded down the stairs and entered the living room where she saw Theresa attempting to straighten Max's tie while periodically swatting Jerry's hand away from the collar of his dress shirt.

"Jerry, stop fiddling with it, you're going to mess it up," she scolded as she tightened Max's tie. His eyes bulged a little and he looked to his sister for help. Alex only laughed. She couldn't remember the last time her family had been all dressed up for an outing. Theresa turned from Max to Jerry and began picking pieces of fuzz off his snug suit jacket. Meanwhile Max tugged at his tie and bolted as far from his mother as possible.

"Why do we have to wear these monkey suits?" He asked Alex as he scratched at his side as if the fabric were making him itch.

"Because Dean picked a fancy restaurant and we want to look nice," Theresa replied, "stop scratching, Max!"

Harper came down the stairs after Alex wearing an outfit that she obviously made herself. It was fruit themed complete with actual cherries as earrings.

"Nice touch," Alex said gesturing to the dangling orbs.

"Thanks," Harper replied touching them gingerly, "I figure that this place is going to be pretty pricy, so I want to make sure I bring my own cherries for dessert." Alex gave Harper a quizzical look, but decided against saying anything and grabbed a black shawl from the closet.

"Alright people, let's get this show on the road. Mama's hungry." Alex said and froze as she pulled the shawl over her bare shoulders.

"Darn straight I am," Theresa replied as she sauntered toward the door in her golden hued dress that glittered in the light, "I haven't eaten since breakfast in preparation for this dinner."

"It's okay, I ate your lunch," Jerry said as he followed his wife out the door. Alex was relieved that her comment went over everyone's heads. She hurried out the door with Harper and Max close behind.

* * *

**It** was the night before finals week began and Justin was beyond tired and actually more than a little nervous for the coming days. He had never been put into a situation like this before. Having to actually put his nose to the books and really try. He was so used to just sitting down to a test and already knowing all there was to know. Screwing around this semester had really messed with him. But after all the studying he had been doing he had to take a break. Just a little moment to clear his head before getting some much needed sleep.

Justin pulled out the mirror that Uncle Kelbo had given him and stared at his reflection. He was a little thinner than when he first arrived, but otherwise he looked the same. It had been too long since he had seen Alex. That mysterious night where he thought he saw her when he was with Adrianne still played on his mind, but he wanted to really see her. He had to see her. Normally he wouldn't spy on someone, but he just intended to peek in on her. Just to make sure she was doing okay. Justin closed his eyes and focused all of his energy on conjuring up her image. Her hair, eyes, smile. The crinkle of her nose when she laughed. When he opened his eyes he was staring at her in the mirror and his breath caught in his throat. Gorgeous as ever. She was sitting in an unfamiliar place to him. The lighting was soft, the view behind her showed strangers all looking in her direction. Some were smiling, others were whispering to each other behind their hands. Alex looked exactly like he remembered her. Her dark hair was pulled back into an elegant pony tail. Smoky eye makeup, soft glossy lips. Justin's eyes traveled over her face and his heart leapt into his throat. What was happening? She was wearing a startled and confused expression on her face. Justin felt a strange vibe coming from the image. Something wasn't right.

"More," he commanded the mirror, "show me more." He wasn't sure if that was how the mirror worked or not, but thankfully it complied. The image expanded and Justin saw that Alex was in an upscale restaurant surrounded by their parents, Max, Harper and an older couple that he didn't recognize. Theresa looked just as startled as Alex, but her hand was to her mouth as if she were overcome with emotion. Jerry looked both confused and borderline angry.

Then Justin saw it. He saw what everyone, including Alex, was staring at. A guy knelt in front of Alex holding out a small jewelry box to her. Inside the box Justin saw a small diamond ring. Justin's blood ran cold and if he didn't know better he would swear that his heart stopped. What the fuck was going on?

"Alex Russo," the guy said, "will you marry me?"

This could not possibly be real. It had only been three months since he had last seen her! How could this be happening in a matter of three months? It didn't make any sense! People don't fall in love and get in engaged in a matter of months! Justin wondered if this was a joke mirror. Was it an elaborate hoax set up by Uncle Kelbo? It had to be. Yet, it didn't feel like a joke. Maybe it was a mirror that only shows you what you don't want to see? Justin was gripping the mirror so hard he thought that either his skin or the handle would break. Or maybe it was just a magic mirror that showed the truth.

Like Justin, everyone in the restaurant was stone silent waiting on Alex to reply to this mystery man. He watched as Alex looked into the guy's eyes and for the briefest moment he thought he saw something, an emotion. Was it love? Her eyes softened and her lip quivered slightly as she looked from the ring before her to the guy who held it. Justin's heart suddenly started racing with panic.

"No!" He suddenly yelled at the mirror, "No! Say no!" Justin shook the looking glass in his hand. When he looked in the mirror again Alex seemed to be looking right at him wearing yet another strange expression. Had she heard him? He watched as her attention returned to the man with the ring and he felt his eyes start to burn. This could not be happening. Then, as if he were watching a bad dream play out before him Justin watched as Alex silently nodded.

The restaurant patrons erupted into applause and cheers as the guy stood up and enveloped Alex in a hug that lifted her off the ground. With her arms around his neck the man spun her around gently and that was when Justin saw his face. He recognized it in an instant.

"Moriarty," he seethed. The name a curse on his lips. He threw the mirror against the wall. It shattered with a jarring crash and fell to the floor where it sparked purple and went dark.

* * *

A/N: I'm back from my vacation and back in action! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I turned up the heat! Read and review. I appreciate it.


	11. When Choice Isn't an Option

**A/N: I always assumed that Dean was of Italian descent. He just struck me that way whenever I saw him on the show…so that is how I wrote him. I decided to fact check and see if the last name Moriarty was Italian and it turns out that it is actually Irish, but I figured, whatever... so I made him Italian anyway! Hopefully that doesn't offend anyone. As always please read and review! I really love reading all the comments.**

* * *

Alex stared at the ring on her left hand and admired the sparkle of the diamond in the light from her lamp. It was cubic zirconium (she checked with magic) but it was still quite pretty. Small and delicate with a simple silver band. Now that she was engaged to Dean she was going to have to wrangle in his spending. They couldn't be spending money on frivolous dinners and evenings out. She worried that even the ring should probably be returned, but … that would just hurt his feelings unnecessarily. At least that was what she was telling herself to justify keeping it. Alex always liked shiny things.

She was engaged! At eighteen. Not exactly the life she had intended to lead, but then again she hadn't planned on getting knocked up either. Alex frowned as her thoughts flowed from one vein to another. What the hell happened? In a matter of months her life was turned completely upside down. She leaned back against her headboard and thought about the events of the evening.

* * *

_The Russo clan arrived at the restaurant and Alex spotted Dean waiting outside the doors. He was pacing back and forth, which wasn't typical behavior for him, but at the time she just figured it was nerves about telling their parents about the baby. She, on the other hand, was pretty calm. She called to him and he looked up with a smile. He patted his jacket pocket a couple times before closing the distance between them. He embraced her lightly and kissed her on the cheek. Then he shook hands with her dad and Max and complimented her mom on her dress. He even told Harper that her earlobes looked delicious. It took Alex a moment to realize that he meant the cherries. After he had officially greeted everyone he led them into the softly lit restaurant._

_They were greeted by an assortment of tantalizing scents and Alex's mouth instantly started to water. She was starving. Dean told the hostess that he was bringing in the remaining guests for their party and she led them to their table. Sergio and Carlotta Moriarty were already seated at the table arguing over which wine on the list was the best._

_"They're here," Dean said softly as he approached the table. His parents didn't seem to hear him as they continued their debate._

_"If it's the most expensive, then it must be the best," Carlotta stated._

_"That's a scam. They want you to think that," Sergio retorted, "they hike up the price on the bad stuff so they can push it out the door faster."_

_"That's ridicu-"_

_"Ma! Dad!" Dean cut in with a louder voice. His parents looked up finally._

_"Oh!" Carlotta said as she spotted Alex and her family, "Dean, why didn't you tell us they were here?"_

_Sergio stood up from the table and shook Jerry's hand. Alex watched as her father's demeanor changed ever so slightly. For some reason whenever he was around other Italians Jerry seemed to think he was directly from the boot shaped country himself instead of having grown up in New York his whole life. Dean rolled his eyes and gave Alex a half smile as if to shrug off his parents' behavior. Alex didn't mind. He pulled her chair out for her and she sat down. Dean had been nothing but surprises lately. Once everyone was seated and perusing their menus Alex felt her stomach give a little flip. Her nerves had finally caught up with her. Could she really go through with this? After this evening there would be no going back. Not only would her parents know that she was pregnant, but they were going to think that it was Dean's baby. Alex began gnawing on a breadstick in hopes that it would settle her nerves and her stomach. As she chewed, her eyes surveyed the faces at the table. Her mother was politely making conversation with Dean's mother. Jerry was animatedly talking with his hands mimicking Sergio's movements and at times his accent. Max and Harper were trying to decide on whether or not they were feeling brave enough to try the squid appetizer. The only face missing in the bunch was Justin. She felt a pang of sadness hit her heart at the thought of his absence. She missed him._

_"You okay?" Dean asked suddenly drawing her out of her thoughts._

_"What?" Alex asked and then forced a smile as she set down the remainder of the breadstick and wiped her fingers on the cloth napkin beside her tiny place setting._

_"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."_

_"Me too," Dean admitted, "I've been doing a lot of that lately."_

_Part of Alex laughed inside. She could hear Justin's voice in her head poking fun at the obvious joke within Dean's statement. Thinking and Dean didn't exactly go hand in hand and Justin was always one to point that out. She resisted the urge to laugh._

_"What about?" She asked instead._

_"About us," he replied and smiled. With those words he stood up, pulled her to her feet, and asked their table for their attention. Of course with their group it was pretty hard to get them to stop talking so he had to once again raise his voice. This not only drew the attention of their parents, Max, and Harper, but the entire restaurant._

_"Dean?" Alex asked her nerves growing exponentially. He wasn't really going to tell everyone like this? With everyone in the place staring?_

_"What is it, Dean?" Sergio asked looking slightly annoyed that his conversation was interrupted._

_"I have something I want to say," Dean replied and turned his attention to Alex._

_"Alex, I know that I wasn't always the best boyfriend to you when we were dating, but I like to think that I've changed since then. I've grown up a lot. I've got my own place now and a steady job. I don't make much money, but I do okay. And I promise that someday I'm gonna be more than just a mechanic. I'll be able to provide for us and for our family."_

_Alex swallowed hard and glanced around the room. Her parents looked just as confused as she felt. Suddenly Dean knelt down in front of her and dug into the pocket of his jacket. As he settled onto one knee before her he presented a tiny box and opened it. Inside was a diamond ring._

_"Oh!" Carlotta exclaimed._

_Alex looked up from the jewelry in bewilderment. She felt weird. Her face grew hot as a blush crept up her neck. It suddenly felt like all eyes were on her and then some. What the hell was happening?_

_"Alex Russo," Dean began, "will you marry me?"_

_Her eyes met Dean's and for the briefest moment she got lost in the situation. She was a girl in trouble. Eighteen and pregnant. She couldn't come clean about who the real father was and here was a guy who was willing to make it right? Granted he didn't actually know the severity of it all, but nonetheless it was enough to make Alex feel flushed with emotion. The thought of what this moment would feel like with Justin suddenly flooded her mind. Her expression softened and she felt her lip quiver slightly. The restaurant was silent during this time, but Alex heard a faint, but jarring sound radiate from somewhere around her. It sounded like a voice. An angry voice yelling the words, "no. No, just say no" from somewhere far away. Alex glanced away from Dean for a moment and stared in the direction of the voice. Did someone in the restaurant just say that? Her expression was one of confusion again, but she brushed it off and turned back to Dean. How long had he been waiting for a response? What did she do? There really was only one answer. She had to say yes. Right now her choice wasn't an option._

_Though her body felt heavy she forced herself to move. Alex gave Dean a nod and small smile. The room erupted into applause and Dean stood up and wrapped his arms around her in a hug that pulled her off the ground. What the hell did she just do?_

_Before the clapping died off Dean set Alex back on her feet and turned toward their families again, his face beaming. Alex looked at her parents and was greeted by mixed expressions. Theresa didn't know what to think. Her hand was over her mouth in shock. Max and Harper both had eyebrows raised. And Jerry looked like he was going to explode._

_"Dad…" Alex began, but Dean cut her off._

_"And if this day couldn't get any better," he began and Alex turned toward him startled. It suddenly seemed like the worst idea to tell everyone about the baby, but she couldn't stop him in time._

_"We're having a baby, too!" Dean finished as he wrapped his arm around Alex's shoulders._

_That did it. Theresa made up her mind of what to do and promptly fainted against Jerry who forgot his anger momentarily to tend to his wife. Harper dipped her napkin into a water glass and started patting Theresa's forehead. Carlotta gasped again and then burst into what Alex assumed were tears of happiness. Dean had said that she would be thrilled by the news. All Alex could muster was a forced smile when Dean looked her way. The rest of the evening had been filled with awkward questions that Alex had to expertly deflect._

* * *

Now safely in her bedroom away from prying eyes and questions she stared at the sparkling ring on her finger. Alex was once against saddened by the situation she was in. Who was she kidding? She was engaged, but it was a sham. This was a mess. Alex slid until she was lying on her side. She pulled off the ring and set it on her night stand. She could take it off, but it didn't change anything.


	12. Impulse

**Justin** sat in the classroom of his first final, Professor Beeston's exam, and absent mindedly tapped his pen against his notebook. The tapping grew so frantic that Lawson reached over and covered Justin's hand with his own and gave him an annoyed look. Things between Justin and his study group had all but completely fizzled since his altercation with Adrianne. High school Justin might have cared about losing friends, but this Justin's thoughts were only occupied by Alex and what his saw in his mirror. His dreams were plagued with visions of Dean molesting his sister on a bed of roses. Then the petals melted together and turned into snakes that began slithering into Alex's hair. He woke with cold beads of sweat all over his body. Needless to say, he never got a good night's rest.

"Sorry," Justin mumbled in Lawson's direction and hastily flipped his notebook open to a fresh page and began scribbling to pass the time. His eyes shifted from his drawings to the clock and he began to fidget in his seat. Time was ticking by so slowly. He wanted nothing more than to be done with all of this. He wanted to be on a plane heading back to New York. Being separated from Alex by an entire ocean was no longer going to work for him. He returned his attention to his scribbling and realized that he had inadvertently scrawled Alex's name. Justin's heart gave a pang of longing. How did everything suddenly get so messed up?

He wanted her. And if her actions that night on the roof were any indication of her feelings he knew she wanted him, too. Of course that was before Dean had reappeared into the picture. Justin had never liked Dean. The greasy, accented, rule breaker. When he found out that Alex had a thing for him, of all people, Justin was more than annoyed. At the time he didn't know why it bothered him so much that she was pursuing a guy like Dean, but now he knew that it was because Dean was everything Justin wasn't. He was nothing but a carefree slacker. Justin smirked a little at that thought. If only Alex knew what he had been doing this whole semester. Slacking off had become second nature to him. He could see not only its appeal, but also how easy it was to slip into that delinquent lifestyle. Maybe Alex could love him now?

Justin shook his head to free his mind of that thought. Failing out of classes and drinking himself silly was not who he truly was. He was responsible. He was determined. He always did the right thing. Sitting back in his chair, Justin abandoned his pen, ran his hand down his face and lightly smacked his cheeks. He needed to wake up. Focus. Lacing his fingers he put his hands behind his head and stretched backward. What was taking Professor Beeston so long to get here? The sooner he arrived, the sooner Justin could leave. Didn't professors understand that they needed to be on time just like their students? It was the right thing to do.

The right thing? There was that word again. Right. What did it mean to be right? It meant to be good. Proper. Just. _Did_ Justin always do the right thing? He certainly tried to be good. Of course, making love to your sister on a rooftop probably isn't a great definition of good. Or proper for that matter. Then there was the issue of being just. To be just means that one is guided by truth, reason, and fairness. Justin certainly had not been truthful when he left New York. He thought he was leaving to get away from Alex because he couldn't stand her, but in reality he left because he couldn't stand to be so close and yet not able to have her. As far as reason goes, Justin had every reason to leave didn't he? If he couldn't be with her he had to leave. Yet, was it fair to deny himself and Alex the opportunity to ride this out?

Justin lowered his hands to the desk in front of him as he returned to the moment. It wasn't fair for him to remove himself from the equation in an attempt to avoid the problem all together. He couldn't hide from his feelings and he certainly couldn't go on knowing that Alex was spending her nights wrapped in Dean's arms! Within seconds Justin gathered his notebook, pen, and backpack and was hurrying toward the door. As he reached for the handle the door swung out and he was face to face with Adrianne.

"Justin?" She said, her eyes wide and startled.

"Excuse me," he replied, pushing past the girl.

"Where are you going?" She called after him, "the final is going to start!"

Justin spun around to look in her direction never stopping his momentum forward, "I'm going home! I have to see Alex!" With that he faced forward and broke into a full on run as he headed for his room to pack all of his belongings. If things went the way he hoped, he wouldn't be coming back.

* * *

A/N: So, so sorry about the huge delay in chapters! Had/having some drama over here. Traveling and waiting on job opportunities to come through. Also sorry about the length of this one! I know it's short, but at least it gets him back on track! Hopefully you are still interested! As always, reviews are appreciated.


	13. Family Meal

**Alex** sat at the kitchen table poking at a pancake with her fork. No one was really saying much, which was surprising for her family. Jerry was eating, but he didn't seem happy about it. Alex knew her father was an emotional eater and she had no doubt that he was shoveling the food into his mouth to mask his anger with her. Theresa was cooking up a storm and kept piling scrambled eggs onto Alex's plate.

"You need your protein now more than ever mija," her mother said as she added a couple strips of bacon to the serving.

Alex merely nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue. She didn't exactly feel hungry at the moment. If anything she felt nauseous, but she managed to eat a little. Alex shot Max a look that he read perfectly. Her younger brother reached over without hesitation and snatched up the bacon and a large forkful of egg. Alex gave him a small smile and moved the remaining morsels around on the plate. If Jerry saw this exchange he said nothing. Instead he snatched up another piece of toast and slathered it with a helping of orange marmalade.

"So," Harper began, setting down her glass of juice, "what's everyone up to today?"

"I'm going to build a rocket out of laundry," Max replied. No one batted an eyelash at such a comment from him.

"Good luck with that," Harper said with a nod.

"I'm attending a presentation down at the salon about the importance of healthy cuticles," Theresa added as she set a dirty pan into the sink.

"That means she's getting her nails done," Max said with a roll of his eyes. Both Theresa and Harper laughed, but soon a silence fell over the kitchen again. The tension so thick even the brightest of headlights couldn't penetrate it.

"What about you, Jerry?" His wife asked as she came to rest her hand on his shoulder, "what are you up to today?"

"Sub shop," he grunted between bites, "someone has to remember what it's like to be responsible around here."

Alex couldn't stop the wince that overtook her body. Apparently food wasn't filling the anger gap anymore. She didn't know what to say. No one else did either. Theresa absent mindedly patted Jerry's shoulder as he cleared his plate. Harper swirled the remaining juice in her glass and Max scribbled on a napkin, no doubt plotting out the rocket that was sure to be a disaster.

"What about you, Alex?" Harper finally spoke, addressing the elephant in the room. Alex hadn't spoke at all since she sat down and it was blatantly obvious that Jerry was furious with her. She cleared her throat and stopped moving the bites of food around in order to look up. Though she was grateful to Harper for not judging her, she did wish that her friend would have just gone on ignoring her. It was easier to deal with the tension if she was allowed to remain silent.

"I was going to go to Dean's-" she began but stopped when Jerry gave a grunt, "to, uh…" she lost her train of thought.

"Hang out?" Harper supplied.

"Yes," Alex replied. That wasn't the whole extent of the visit. Dean wanted get wedding plans started. That uncomfortable silence filled the room again as everyone finished their breakfast. Jerry pushed away from the table and began gathering his dishes. Theresa started wrapping leftovers while Harper put the juice and butter back into the refrigerator. Alex thought that now might be the best time to slip away before her father's head exploded on the ceiling.

"Doesn't anyone want to know what I'm doing today?" Came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Everyone looked up in shock and Alex heard her mother gasp. She herself wondered if maybe she was dreaming.

"Mijo!" Theresa dropped the loaf of bread she was holding onto the table and closed the distance between herself and her eldest child. Her arms wrapped around him and held him close.

"Hey, Mom," Justin replied returning the hug awkwardly as he attempted to set down a rather large suitcase.

"Jerry, look!" Theresa said as she allowed her son to untangle himself from her arms. Jerry approached his son with a wide grin on his face. His sullen morning mood forgotten in light of the surprise arrival. They shook hands and Jerry brought Justin in for a warm and welcoming hug.

"Justin!" Max said as he joined most of his family by the door, "you're just in time to watch me make a laundry rocket."

"That's," Justin began, giving his younger brother the weirdest look, "the strangest thing I've heard in a long time. I can't believe how much I've missed that."

"You're early, aren't you?" Theresa asked as she walked to the refrigerator to look at the calendar magnetized to its door.

"Yeah," Justin replied, "but that's because I didn't realize finals were last week."

"They finish early in jolly old England, huh?" Jerry said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Mijo, you're so thin! Have you been eating? Are you hungry?" Theresa bombarded her son with questions but stopped when she saw that Alex was gripping the back of her chair.

"Alex? Aren't you going to say hello to your brother?"

Alex heard her mother speaking to her and she desperately wanted to respond, but she couldn't make her lips form words. She watched as Justin's eyes met hers and her pulse throbbed in her ears. Though she was absolutely certain that she was awake, part of her wanted to believe that she was dreaming. Alex had been thinking about this moment and what it would be like ever since he left her, but now that it was here she didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. She wanted to smack him across the face. Push him out of the house. Scream at him. He left her when she needed him! When she wanted him. She wanted to run to him and fall into his arms again. To feel his warmth as she nestled her face against his chest and held him tight. To tell him everything that had happened and beg him to help her out of this terrible situation. Justin always helped her out of trouble.

She did none of those things. Instead she released her grip on the chair and darted up the stairs. Though it probably looked ridiculous to run from her brother she didn't care. Tears were threatening to escape. Threatening to reveal her true emotion and she didn't want anyone to see her cry, especially not him.

* * *

"**What** was that?" Max asked as he stared with bewilderment toward the staircase.

"Hormones," Theresa replied. Harper started heading for the stairs to follow her friend.

"I'll go," Justin said as he followed in Alex's direction, his long legs taking the stairs two at a time. Harper paused, unsure if that was the best solution since he was the one who obviously set her off, but she wasn't about to argue. The voices of his family faded once he reached the top of the stairs and he bolted down the hallway as Alex's door slammed shut. He didn't knock, or hesitate; instead he wrenched the knob and shoved the door open.

"No," he said the word coming out more forcefully than he expected.

Alex spun around, tears forgotten, shocked by the speed at which her door opened after she slammed it. She didn't expect anyone to follow her, especially not him.

"Get out," she replied as she turned away from him.

"No," Justin replied and reached for her arm. Alex snatched her arm away from his touch, knowing that if she let him touch her for even a minute she would lose her anger. She needed this anger. It was the only thing keeping her from confessing everything.

"Why did you run? Why are you being like this? Justin asked, respecting her space and stepping away. She was mad. Not just mad, but furious. But he could tell by her body language that it was more than that, she was also hurt. Did he make the wrong decision in coming home? Was it unfair to just show up into her life again?

When he saw her downstairs, sitting at the table his heart swelled. She was just having a normal breakfast with the family. He thought that maybe the mirror had been wrong. Maybe things here were as they were when he had left. That dream was broken when he heard her say she had intended to spend the day with Dean.

"Just get out," came her response. Though her voice broke with emotion her words were strong.

"Alex, talk to me," Justin begged and he wanted to reach out to her again.

"I said get out!" With her words Alex spun on her heel and held her palm out as if to shove him. Though she didn't even have to make contact. Before she knew what was happening Justin went flying backward and slammed into the wall across the hall from her room. Alex gasped as she watched his body slid down until he was sitting on the floor. She brought her hands up to cover her mouth. What the hell was that?

"Are you okay?" She mumbled through her hands.

"Alex, Justin?" Theresa was heard coming up the stairs. Alex started to panic. Justin stood on shaky feet and gave Alex a startled, yet curious expression.

"Are you alright?" Their mother asked as she saw Justin standing in the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Justin replied, "I just tripped." He saw that Jerry, Harper and Max were all closely behind Theresa.

"I guess I've got some crazy jet lag going on," he tried laughing it off. His eyes glanced into Alex's room where she still stood in shock over what had happened.

"I didn't mean…" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I sure could use some food though," Justin said pulling on his mother's nurturing side, "then after that, maybe a long nap." With that he ushered his family back down in the direction of the kitchen leaving Alex to ponder what had just happened.

* * *

A/N: Aww, aren't we happy they are back together? :) Reviews are appreciated! Turning up the heat a little bit. Thanks for reading!


	14. Choke it Down

A/N: I am so sorry that there has been another giant gap! I suddenly went from no jobs to 2.5 jobs all at the same time! I plan on continuing my fic here, but I fear that updates might be sporadic as I will have less time to write! Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me and continued reading! I appreciate it so much and love to read your comments! P.S. I'm taking creative liberties with the magical lore. I don't actually know how the show handles magical lineage, but this is how I see it!

**Justin** sat at the table forcing himself to swallow the large meal his mother had prepared for him. He was sure that it was delicious, but seeing as he couldn't pull his thoughts away from Alex and the scene that had unfolded upstairs, everything he put into his mouth tasted like a paper napkin.

"I wish you had called and told us you were coming home early, mijo," Theresa said as she piled spicy sausages onto his plate, "I would have had all your favorite foods ready for you."

"This is fine, Mom, really," Justin replied chasing the food with a gulp of fresh squeezed lemonade. His lips puckered at the tartness of it, but he got it down. In her excitement, Theresa must have forgotten to add the sugar.

"Tell us about England," Harper said as she sat back in her chair knitting a bright orange… something or another.

"Yeah, do they have flying cars and talking robot butlers?" Max asked as he pulled his sock off of his foot and began shoving it into what appeared to be an old paper towel tube.

"Max, that's ridiculous," Jerry replied giving his youngest a look of skepticism, "England doesn't have that stuff." He paused for a beat before looking at Justin. "Do they?"

Justin laughed and shook his head. "No, they don't have flying cars or… talking robots. At least not that I've seen."

"So they're still a secret," Max said with a nod, as though he expected it all along.

"England is great," Justin said, doing his best to ignore Max's comments, "gorgeous scenery, excellent university, terrific night life…"

"Night life?" Theresa replied her eyebrows arching. "What do you mean nightlife? Like clubs and bars?"

"No, of course not!" Justin quickly lied, "I meant wild life that comes out at night." It was a terrible save, but his mother seemed content with it so he let it slide.

"How about the girls?" Jerry asked and twitched when he felt Theresa smack him lightly upside the head.

"My son didn't have time for girls," she insisted, "he had his nose in the books, right mijo?"

Justin figured that this was as good a time as any to excuse himself. He exaggerated a yawn, stretching his arms to the ceiling. "I am just beat," he said and was surprised to find that he really could do with a nap. "Would anyone mind if I went upstairs and slept for a couple hours?"

"Of course not," Theresa replied and leaned down to kiss his forehead loudly, "I'm so happy my baby is home!" Justin gave a weak smile and stood up from the table.

"We'll talk about birds later," Jerry said giving his son a wink.

"Birds?" Max asked.

"Yeah, that's what they call girls in England. Girls are birds and guys are bloats, right Justin?"

"Blokes, Dad," Justin corrected, "guys are blokes."

"That's what I said," Jerry insisted waving the correction away.

* * *

**Alex** sat on her bed long after Justin had left her room, well… more like he was ejected from her room. She was still in shock over what had happened. How had she been able to move him just by thinking about it? She didn't have her wand pointed at him and she certainly didn't know of any spell that powerful. Instinctively her hand fell to her abdomen. Was she somehow tapping into the baby's magic? Was that even possible? The only person she could really ask about it would be her mom, but even then the situation would be different. Theresa was mortal and Alex was a wizard. Also, when Theresa was pregnant she was carrying children harnessing only one third of the family magic. Certainly they didn't have powers from within the womb. The child inside Alex was the result of two magical parents. Even though Justin didn't win the wizard competition he still carried the magical bloodline. His children would become wizards even if he no longer had his powers.

Did she really want to even ask her mom a question like this? How would she even begin? "So, Mom… ever throw anyone around with your mind when you were knocked up?" Absolutely not. Not only would it sound ridiculous, but since Alex was pretty sure nothing crazy like that had ever happened, it would only bring up more questions than Alex was willing to answer about her own situation. She would keep it to herself. Though that would prove to be difficult, considering there was one other person who knew that it had happened. She had to get out of the house. It was obvious that she not prepared to talk to him right now. Even though she was upset she didn't want to risk throwing him across the room again. Besides she had promised Dean that they would spend the day together. Suddenly the idea of wedding planning was even more horrible than she previously thought. There was no way she would be able to focus on picking a date and color schemes. She glanced at the phone and briefly considered canceling on him. She could blame morning sickness and stay curled up in bed. That wouldn't stop Justin from trying to talk to her though.

_Ugh_. She thought. Life was hard! She finally decided to accept the lesser of two evils and deal with Dean trying to talk her into a 1950's themed wedding reception. There was just no way she could handle Justin right now. Grabbing a sweater, Alex hurried out of her room. Of course as luck would have it she went barreling right into a hard body.

"Whoa," came a soft voice as gentle hands steadied her shoulders.

Alex's heart leap frogged into her throat as she looked up into Justin's eyes. _Oh hell_. He said nothing, just stared back at her, his face pleading.

"I have to go," she said and quickly side stepped. He blocked her path with ease.

"Please, Alex?" A simple question.

She said nothing. She stepped in to the other side. He blocked her again.

"You can throw me all you want, I'm not moving," he stated. His voice was soft, but firm. He still had that same determination. England hadn't changed that.

Alex felt her walls start to crumble pebble by pebble, "I-"

"Move! Gotta pee!" Came a voice from behind Justin and Max shoved past his siblings. Justin pressed himself against the wall and growled in annoyance. Alex, like a cornered mouse, saw the escape opportunity and took it. She bolted for the stairs and took them two at a time. She called a brief goodbye to anyone in the kitchen and left without another moment of hesitation.

Justin turned so that his forehead was pressed against the wall. His eyes closed in defeat. He wasn't sure what he expected to return home to, but it certainly wasn't this. Maybe she wouldn't accept him with open arms, but this jumpy, angry person was not what he expected. Though as he stood in the hallway thinking it made sense that she wouldn't want to talk. Maybe she needed some space. Some time to think about things. Of course she was running off into Moriarty's waiting arms. If she wasn't willing to talk to him there was nothing Justin could do except wait. But waiting only meant that she would get farther and farther away. In a moment of absolute frustration he pounded a closed fist against the wall. A picture fell off its nail and clattered to the floor. He heard the glass crack in its frame, but didn't open his eyes not wanting to see what his anger had resulted in.

When he couldn't justify standing in the hallway any longer he looked down and saw that the photo that fell was a family portrait and the glass had cracked right between his smiling face and Alex's.


	15. Pregnany, Plans and Predicaments

When she arrived at Dean's place Alex was more than a little surprised when she saw his mother sitting on his couch happily dog-earring the pages of a bridal magazine.

"Alex!" Mrs. Moriarty exclaimed happily when she saw her future daughter-in-law.

"Mrs. Moriarty," Alex replied with less enthusiasm. She wasn't trying to be rude or anything, she was just surprised and not in a good way.

"Oh please," the older woman replied, "call me Mom!" Alex's eyebrows arched at those words.

"Oh good, you're here!" Dean said as he entered from the kitchen carrying a couple cans of soda. He set them on his coffee table and stepped around his mom to approach Alex. She steeled herself against the upcoming mushy greeting. She held out her arms to accept his hug, but was surprised yet again when Dean knelt in front of her and put his lips to her stomach.

"Hi Baby," he murmured against her belly button, "it's Daddy. How's my little bambino today?" He smiled up at Alex and she felt a heaviness in her chest.

"Oh, that is just precious!" Mrs. Moriarty exclaimed pressing her hands to her heart. "Let me get my camera!" She started rummaging in her oversized purse.

"Uh," Alex quickly stepped away from Dean, "actually, I really have to…" she paused as her eyes darted around the tiny apartment needing to get away. It suddenly felt as though there wasn't enough air in the world for her lungs, "use the bathroom." Alex finally said as she bolted for the door farthest from the living room.

"I completely understand," Mrs. Moriarty replied, "when I was pregnant with Dean, I swear my bladder was the size of an olive." She stood and began walking behind Alex.

"It's only gonna get worse," the woman continued, "Moriarty babies grow big and strong in there, so don't be at all surprised if you have to go like every ten minutes."

Alex shut the bathroom door as quickly as possible. She flung the lid of the toilet down and sat hard on top of it letting her head fall into her hands.

"In my last trimester with Dean I seriously considered just sleeping in the bathtub," her voice was muffled now.

"Mrs. Moriarty?" Alex asked through gritted teeth.

Her future mother-in-law tsk tsked from beyond the door and Alex rolled her eyes.

"I mean, _Mom_," she amended quickly really disliking the sound of it coming from her lips, "could I get just a tiny bit of privacy?"

"Shy bladder, huh? Well, that will change. I remember when I was preg-"

"Ma! Give her some space, will you?" Dean said from beyond the door.

Alex could hear him ushering his mother back to the couch.

"What? I was just talking,"

"I know that, but she wants a little privacy, you know?" Their voices faded.

Alex tried to steady herself by taking deep breaths. She didn't need this. Not today of all days. Before she could stop them tears began flowing. It was like a floodgate was opened. All the emotion she had been holding in for so long came rushing out in torrents. The salty liquid slid down her cheeks in a steady stream and splashed on the toes of her sneakers and the tiled floor. A choking sob escaped her throat and Alex quickly reached over to the faucet and put it on full blast in hopes of masking the sound. Then she pressed her fist against her mouth as another sob threatened to shake her tiny frame. She couldn't hold it back and suddenly she was bawling bitterly.

It was too much. She wasn't going to be able to put up with this much longer. Not without talking to someone. Of course the person she would normally talk to about her problems when they needed fixing… was Justin.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually there was a knock on the door and a concerned Dean asked, "Alex? You okay in there?"

She hastily wiped the tears from her face and stood to look in the mirror. She looked… well she looked like she had been crying her eyes out.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied struggling to keep her voice steady.

"You need anything?" He asked.

"No. I'm…" Alex suddenly changed her mind, "actually yes, I need some cheese curls and some ice cream."

"Cravings huh?" Came another voice. Mrs. Moriarty yet again.

"Yep, they sure are _annoying_ sometimes," Alex replied. She actually just wanted to get them out of the apartment so she could be alone. She splashed some cold water on her face in hopes of looking refreshed. It was really a lost cause. Her cheeks were red and splotchy. Her eyes completely bloodshot.

"Also, my boobs are just killing me," Alex said, "_Mom_, could you maybe go with Dean and try and find a pain killer that's mild enough for me to take?" She bit her lower lip and prayed that the woman didn't have something in that giant bag of hers.

"Oh sure!" Mrs. Moriarty exclaimed, glad to help. "Come on, Dean. We will also pick up some liverwurst. When I was pregnant with you I just couldn't get enough of that stuff."

Alex made a disgusted face in the mirror. There was no way in HELL she was eating that.

"We'll be right back," Dean said.

"Okay, thanks," Alex replied and listened as they retreated from the door. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands and sighed deeply into the stillness.

"One other thing," Mrs. Moriarty interrupted.

Alex wanted to scream.

"I went through those bridal magazines on the coffee table there and found some beautiful table settings and centerpieces. Take a look and tell me what you think. But I'm picturing deep red and gold."

"Ooookay, thanks," Alex was gripping the sink with both hands now.

"Okay, we'll be right back, dear."

Alex waited another five or so minutes before she exited the bathroom. The apartment was silent. Finally! Some time for herself. Though she really had no idea what she planned on doing with that time. She was starting to feel a bit better as she approached the coffee table and looked down at one of the open magazines. The picture Dean's mother had marked was of a centerpiece in the shape of a tacky looking swan pot filled with huge lilies and peacock feathers.

"Oh dear God," Alex said aloud to no one in particular. It was the most hideous thing she had ever seen in her life.

Suddenly there was a loud popping sound and the room filled with a blueberry colored smoke. Alex coughed and waved her hand in front of her face.

"What the-?"

"Good afternoon Miss Russo," came a response. When the smoke cleared Alex saw that it was a wizard dressed in dark purple robes and a pointed hat covered in stars and moons, "I'm Endelward Rulzenfort and I am in charge of all legal matters regarding wizard marriages."

Alex didn't really have time to respond as Endelward continued, "I'm here to discuss your time slot."

"My what?" She replied and then suddenly worried that Dean and his mother might return.

"Your. Time. Slot." The wizard replied speaking slower. "Geesh, it's like talking to a troll."

"I heard you the first time," Alex snarled, "but what the hell are you talking about?"

Endelward rolled his eyes.

"Figures," he muttered as he pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment from the sleeve of his robe. This guy obviously hated his job.

Alex looked at him expectantly.

"Are you or are you not planning to marry one," he scanned the parchment quickly, "Dino Moriarty. Age 22. New York, New York, U.S.A.?" He asked.

"Dino?" Alex asked. His name was Dino?

The wizard's eyebrows rose dramatically. "Please answer the question."

"Fine, yes," she responded, "I plan to marry one Dino Moriarty. Age 22, New Yor- all that stuff you said," she waved her hand at the paper in his hands.

"Right," the wizard said, "so I am here to schedule your time slot for relinquishing your wizard powers to one," he regarded the scroll once more, "Justin Russo, or one Max Russo."

And Just like that all the air once again felt out of reach for Alex's lungs.


	16. Hot Water

Justin pressed his palms against the slick surface of the shower wall and let the hot water cascade over him. He closed his eyes as the heat washed over his face. A good long shower was always one of his favorite ways to de-stress. Something about the combination of the hot, rising steam and the steady sound of the water raining down on him helped to block out the world. After the semester from hell and the homesickness he really needed this time to reflect.

Christmas was quickly approaching. That should prove to be the best distraction. Justin always loved the holiday season. Drinking peppermint tea while watching the snow shimmer as it falls over all of New York. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve. Unsuccessfully stopping Alex from stealing the cookies their mom made for the neighbors. Smiling when she offers to split the treasure if he didn't tell. Smiling even more on the inside because he knew that their mom always made a couple extra batches since she knew Jerry couldn't resist them. Those nights with Alex, sitting by the Christmas tree eating holiday shaped sugar cookies were some of the best memories he had. One of the rare moments when they didn't argue. She would dominate the conversation, of course. But in between bouts of talking she'd quietly nibble a cookie then wrap her arms around her knees to admire the tree. In the glow of the twinkling lights Justin fell in love with her again and again, year after year.

He didn't know it was love at the time. All he knew was that it confused him. The feeling of absolute warmth that rose inside him at the sight of her. The jealousy that sparked when she brought a new boyfriend home. The frustration that came when she goofed off and lost focus during wizard training because he knew she could be so much better. Which he was very right about. She did win the wizard competition after all. Twice. Part of him always knew that she would be the family wizard. It took more than just memorizing spells to gain that honor. It took everything that Alex was.

Justin exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I miss you, Alex," he said into the steam.

"I miss you, too." A soft voice responded.

His eyes flew open and he jerked his head toward the shower curtain. His heart thundered in his chest. Was he hearing things?

"Alex?" He whispered. His voice low like he was trying not to spook a small animal. Was he going crazy? Perhaps his relaxing shower was loosening up more than just his muscles, was his brain also coming unhinged?

"It's me," she replied.

He grabbed the edge of the curtain and pulled it back just enough to poke his head out. There she was, standing in a lavender tank top and pair of baby blue and purple striped drawstring pants. Her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. She looked like she hadn't slept very well.

"Hey," he said still a little shocked to see her in the bathroom. He must have forgotten to lock the door.

"I can be out of here in like five minutes," he said and quickly pulled his head back into the shower. He grabbed the shampoo and squeezed a small amount into his hands before lathering.

"Take your time," she replied. There was a shuffling noise and then the sound of Alex pulling herself up to sit on the countertop.

He hastily rinsed the shampoo from his hair and succeeded in washing it down into his eye.

"I was thinking about what you said yesterday. We do need to talk," Alex said over the sound of the shower.

"Now?" Justin asked and rubbed his stinging eyes.

"If you don't mind?" She replied her voice rising as if asking permission.

"I guess not," he said blinking into the water to rinse his eye. It was a strange place to talk, but it was perfect for privacy and Justin was just glad that she was willing to talk to him.

Neither of them spoke for a while. How exactly did they start a conversation like this?

"I'm sorry about throwing you out of my room," Alex finally began.

"It's fine," Justin heard himself say before he really thought about it and then just shook his head.

"No, it's not fine," she replied. "I don't know why that happened. It was weird and I'm obviously some sort of freak or something."

"You're not a freak," Justin countered. "It's perfectly normal for wizards to have their powers flare up during moments of high emotion. I once read about a wizard who used to turn people into birds whenever he was nervous. It wouldn't have been such a big deal except the people, once they were birds, would take flight and escape out windows and once they were out of range of the spell they would change back into their human form and plummet to their deaths. So, I'd take being tossed around a little in place of that any day."

"I know you meant to reassure me with that," Alex began. "But that just makes me worried that the next time it happens I might do something more dangerous."

"It couldn't hurt to get it under control," Justin replied after a moment of chastising himself. "If you want, I can teach you how to meditate."

"Sure," Alex replied.

They fell into silence again.

It was Justin who finally broke through the quiet. "We should probably talk about that night."

Alex didn't respond. It was difficult to talk to a disembodied voice, but he dared not pull back the curtain. Maybe it was this anonymity that helped her talk with him. Instead he remained under the hot water.

"It must not have meant much to you," she finally muttered.

"What?" He asked feeling anger start to bubble its way to the surface. "How can you say that?"

"In case you forgot," Alex snapped. "You left me."

Justin cringed.

"What was I supposed to think?" She continued.

"I had to go, Alex," Justin replied desperately wanting to pull back the shower curtain and talk to her face to face. Of course that would be a little difficult, considering where they were. "I was going away to school. What was I supposed to do? Just not go all of a sudden? Tuition was paid, arrangements had been made…" he trailed off. It all sounded like excuses. Which they were.

"You could have stayed if you wanted to," she replied.

"Alex, hand me a towel, please?" Justin said sticking his hand out of the curtain. He needed to see her.

"No."

"Alex, please," he begged, "we need to talk about this face to face."

"No."

Justin sighed and pulled his arm back.

"You're right," he finally said. He could have stayed if he wanted to, that was true. He could have obtained a full refund and taken a semester off. Instead he ran away. "I was scared."

"Scared?" Alex asked. "Of me?"

"No, not you," he responded quickly. "Never you." He paused. "I was scared of what happened. I was afraid that I forced you to do something … you didn't want to do."

"You didn't force me," she replied.

"I was just so ashamed of myself, Alex. I'm your brother. I'm the oldest. I should know better than to…" he trailed off again.

Alex was quiet on the other side of the shower curtain and Justin's heart sank.

"I took advantage of you."

He heard Alex slide off the counter and shuffle to the door. When he heard her hand hit the doorknob Justin felt himself break down. He had finally spoken the words that had been on his mind for months now and even though it was the right thing to do he couldn't help but wish he could take them back.

"I understand if you never want to see me again," Justin said softly. "I shouldn't have come back like this. I should have stayed out of your life. I'm so sorry, Alex."

The sound of the shower suddenly seemed so loud in his ears as he waited to see if she had heard him or if she had left. Justin risked a look beyond the curtain and gasped at the sight. Alex stood in the center of the room dropping her tank top onto the tiled floor and shimmying out of her pants and panties.

"Alex, what are you doing?" Justin asked, slamming his eyes shut against the sight. He couldn't allow himself a moment of weakness again.

"I'm showing you," Alex replied softly.

"Showing me what?" Justin asked his mouth going dry as he pulled himself back into the shower. He kept his eyes firmly closed even as he heard the rustle of the shower curtain being pulled back and felt Alex step into the close space with him.

"I'm showing you that you didn't take advantage of me." She said as her arms slid around his neck and she pressed herself against him.

Justin groaned and squeezed his eyelids together harder than before as he reached up and pulled her arms from around him. But Alex laced her fingers together behind his neck.

"Look at me, Justin," she demanded.

"I…" He inhaled sharply as he tried to clear his mind and stop noticing her tender flesh pressed up against his slick, naked skin. "I can't. This isn't right, Alex. We can't."

"We can. We can. We can," she whispered. Her breath feathering against his lips. "Please, Justin. Look at me." Her voice was light and imploring. Every part of him-_every part_-desperately wanted to oblige.

"Alex, please… don't let me do this," he begged as he felt his resolve weakening.

"I want you, Justin. Please look at me. Touch me." Alex pressed her lips to his and he felt the warm tip of her tongue teasing his top lip. That was all it took. Justin's arms encircled her in one fluid motion. His left hand caressed her lower back and glided over the gentle curve of her behind while his right fisted firmly into her dark tresses at the back of her head. Her skin so soft to his touch, like caressing a cloud. Her mouth so warm and inviting. Justin drank in deeply, taking big gulps of her sweetness as he pulled her mouth toward his again and again shifting only enough to enjoy her lips from a different angle.

Using the hand that was twisted into her hair he pulled her away from his kiss and opened his eyes to look at her. Her lids lifted and she stared at him without speaking. The only sound coming from either of them being their labored breathing. Justin broke eye contact first and let his sights wander down to take in her naked body. Her chest rising and falling rapidly under the weight of his stare. He released his hold on her hair and lowered his head to her left breast. Snaking his tongue out between his lips he flicked her hardened nipple with its tip repeatedly before taking it into his mouth and sucking gently. Justin felt Alex's fingers slide into his wet hair as he continued to lavish attention on one breast then the other.

"Justin," Alex whispered softly as her fingers continued to slide through his hair.

He loved hearing his name on her lips. Loved feeling her warmth so close to him. He wanted her so much. Closing his eyes again, he lowered himself down onto his knees, grateful that the shower mat was cushioned. Justin peppered kisses down her soft belly and slowly lapped at the moisture that clung to her skin with his tongue.

Alex purred with pleasure.

Justin ran his hands down Alex's sides until he was gripping her hips.

"Oh God, Alex," he groaned. "I want you so much." He started kissing below her belly button and felt himself stiffen in anticipation of his next move. He'd never done what he was about to do with anyone before, but he was fairly confident that he could pull it off. First he just needed to get her into position. He opened his eyes and began to lift Alex's right leg when he noticed something strange. It was faint at first, but the longer he stared the more it began to appear. About two inches below Alex's belly button a dark stain was visible. A light purplish black smudge. A bruise? If Dean hurt her, Justin would kill him.

"Why'd you stop?" Alex asked breathlessly.

He could feel her gaze on him, but he couldn't look away. The bruise began to spread into a small oval no bigger than a thumb print. He thought it had stopped, but the strange inky color slowly branched off into two curving lines. They stretched up and around the small oval until it was inside of a larger, identical one nestled in the lower right section. It definitely wasn't a bruise like Justin had ever seen before. The mark formed some sort of symbol on her abdomen. Like a tattoo. Did Alex get a tattoo while he was gone? If she had she picked a strange design.

"Alex, what is this?" He asked pulling away and looking up into her eyes.

She cocked her head to the side slightly and her fingers trailed lightly over his cheek. She gave him a sad sort of smile.

His heart rate began to increase rapidly. Something wasn't right. None of this was right.

"Alex?" He said again.

"You really should know," she said softly as the water hitting his back ran cold as ice.

Justin's eyes flew open and he bolted up in his bed. His body was slick with sweat, not shower water. His limbs were entangled in his bed sheets, not Alex's embrace. Running his hand over his face Justin looked around his dark bedroom and tried to get his breathing under control. It was just a dream, but it felt like a nightmare. He wasn't chased by any monsters and he wasn't falling off a cliff, but it definitely left him feeling uneasy. To regular people a dream is just that, a dream. But being from a wizard bloodline, Justin knew that dreams often held symbolic meaning, but what did this one mean? Some dreams leave people feeling frightened; others leave the dreamer with a sense of unease. He didn't know why, but for some reason this dream left Justin feeling deceived.


	17. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Alex** lay in Dean's bed listening to the sound of his snoring as she mindlessly played with her engagement ring. Going home for the night, knowing that Justin was there, was too risky. And this mess with Endelward threw a wrench into her plan. Not that she really had much of a plan to begin with... she was really flying by the seat of her pants. That was such a strange expression. She knew that it meant to make it up as you go along, but what does that have to do with pants?

"Focus, Alex!" She chastised herself.

Dean shifted in bed at her loud tone and turned so that he was lying on his side facing her, but he didn't wake. Alex tensed until she was sure that he was still sound asleep. It's wasn't awful being with Dean, but he always wanted to know what she was thinking and she couldn't exactly tell him that she was thinking about how she was in love with her brother, carrying his child and lying to everyone in her life. That would be an Awkward conversation.

She shifted so that she was lying on her side facing Dean. She reached up to push a lock of dark hair off his forehead. She thought back to the first time they dated. She was completely infatuated with his bad boy reputation and his rebel without a cause attitude. He wasn't really that boy anymore. He had grown up a lot since then. But could she grow to love this new man that he had become? Could she really go through with relinquishing her magic to one of her brothers in order to marry Dean and live the lie that she had already set in motion?

Alex had been in many sticky situations in her young life, but this one is quite possibly the worst and most complicated. And she didn't really see a way out that didn't involve seriously hurting someone that she cared about.

* * *

**Justin** sat in the lair combing through various magical texts. It was strange to be back in the lair without his magic. He was just grateful to still be able to access the room and its contents even though he wasn't the family wizard.

He looked around at the stacks of books surrounding him on the table. They were already sitting out when he arrived. Opened to random pages on common wizard diseases and ailments and mistake fixing spells and potions. Strange.

Currently he was flipping through a book on pagan symbols. His dream was still bothering him. That purple bruise on Alex's abdomen stood out clearly in his memory. It was obviously a sign. His subconscious was trying to tell him something. His search was coming up short and his eyelids were starting to droop.

He was just about to give up for the evening and head back to bed when he saw it. The small oval inside of a larger one. Justin sat up straighter, suddenly catching a second wind. His eyes took in the symbol checking to make sure that it was in fact the same one from his dream. A perfect match. Justin's eyes scanned down the page to find its meaning. Fertility.

"Well that's just immensely unhelpful," he scolded the book out loud as he closed it. The symbol matched the image in his dream exactly and yet the meaning made no sense to Justin. Fertility. Of course she's fertile. She's a perfectly healthy young woman. He rubbed his eyes hard before standing and leaving the lair. What an incredible waste of time. He flipped the light switch and doused the room in darkness before climbing the stairs back up into the apartment and again up to his room.

Justin stopped at Alex's closed door. Was she asleep? Tentatively he knocked and waited for a response. When none came he gently pushed the door open. Her room was dark and he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Alex?" He whispered stepping into her room and shutting the door behind him.

No response again. Quietly he stepped toward her bed, but it was empty. His heart sank as he lowered himself to her mattress. He turned on the lamp beside him and a soft glow filled the room. She wasn't home and it was after midnight. That could only mean that she was with _him. _Justin hated _him. _Dean Moriarty was a pain in Justin's ass in high school and he was back to cause more trouble. The guy was just no good no matter how you looked at it. He was a complete slacker, always had detention, and eventually just gave up on school all together. That wasn't the kind of guy Alex needed in her life.

_What kind of guy did she need?_ He asked himself as he picked up a small, decorative pillow from beside him on the bed. _A brother who lusts after her? Who uses her and leaves her? _

Justin lowered his head toward the pillow and drew a deep breath. Alex's scent was all over it. God he loved her scent. He raised the soft fabric to his face and took another deep breath and groaned with frustration and longing. He hated this situation. He hated his life. He hated himself! In a moment of rage Justin gritted his teeth and whipped the pillow in the direction of Alex's dresser. It crashed into her perfume bottles and make-up scattering the girly items to the floor. Luckily the noise was minimal, but the mess only made Justin feel worse.

He rose from the bed with a squeak and began picking up the fallen tubes, compacts and bottles. Justin set them back on the dresser top and arranged them according to use and color. The organization calming his nerves. Though she would definitely notice that someone had been in her room. He started to rearrange them in what he hoped was a random pattern when he noticed that the top drawer of her dresser was slightly open. Worried that something might have fallen inside and broken Justin opened the drawer completely just to check. Of course it was the panty drawer.

He felt his cheeks heat. _Oh for goodness sake! Now I look like some sort of panty pervert._ He glanced around quickly for any make-up or perfume bottles and was about to close the drawer when something caught his eye. A photograph... or at least it looked like a photograph. Except that it was all black and grey splotches.

"What the hell is that?" Justin muttered and before he could stop himself from snooping further he reached inside and removed the picture.

* * *

**Alex** disentangled herself from Dean's arm and rose from the bed. She was restless and a little homesick. She missed her room and her bed. She jotted a quick note to Dean and put it on the coffee table after she dressed. She didn't want him to think that she just abandoned him. She had finally made the responsible decision and if she was going to spend the rest of her life in this apartment then she wanted as many nights at home as she could get before becoming Mrs. Dean Moriarty. God that sounded weird.

Pulling her wand from her boot Alex whispered the spell that would take her home and safely deposit her into her bedroom for the night. Maybe she would have a cup of cocoa before bed. And a sandwich. Oh and potato chips! Alex was suddenly starving. But what she saw when she popped into her bedroom removed any appetite whatsoever.

Her room was dimly lit by her bedside lamp and Justin stood at her dresser staring down at a small square he held in his hands. Alex's heart jumped into her throat.

"What are you doing in my room?" She demanded as her anger bubbled inside her like a pot of hot water.

Justin whirled around to face her. If he was startled by her sudden presence in the room he didn't show it. His face was stone and his eyes flashed.

"What the hell is this, Alex?" He asked holding up the square for her to see.

Alex's eyes flitted to his hand and her heart sank into her stomach with an icy chill before springing back into her throat. He had found the ultrasound picture.

"That's none of your business!" She hissed as she made a grab for the photo.

Justin, being a good deal taller than her, raised it out of her reach and took a few steps back from her. "You know what this looks like to me, Alex? It looks like a sonogram picture."

"Justin, you give that back to me or Merlin help you I will do worse than just throw you out of my room," Alex said through gritted teeth. She wasn't sure where the intense anger was coming from, but she raised her wand in warning.

Justin took two swift steps toward her, grabbed her wrist and disarmed her before she had a chance to follow through with her threat. A quick technique that he had learned from Monster hunting.

"Not this time, Alex," he breathed. "I've been sitting here beating myself up about what happened between us and then I find this," He held up the ultrasound picture in front of her face. "I spent _months_ agonizing over how I left you here. Worrying that I hurt you. And it turns out you've been having a good time with Dean Moriarty while I've been away. Here I was _terrified_ that I damaged you in some way and you're still the same Alex you were when I left, aren't you?" Justin threw Alex's wand across the room. "Still fucking up left and right."

Alex closed her eyes against his harsh tone and awful words. She had never heard Justin like this before and it both scared her, shamed her, and pissed her off. Her anger roiled inside her as he spoke and circled her like a predator.

"Well this is a huge fuck up, Alex. you've done some stupid shit in the past, but I always thought you'd grow out of it. You'd grow up eventually. That night on the roof, I thought I saw a bit of that maturity coming out of you, but I was very wrong." Justin stared down at the ultrasound picture again. "Getting knocked up by Moriarty, Alex? Really?" Justin asked unable to keep the harshness from his voice. "This is a new low for you. The guy is a loser. He always was and he always will be."

Alex with seething with anger. How dare he ridicule Dean like this. Dean has been nothing but amazing to her in the short period of time that they have been together.

"Of course he would go and get you pregnant. That's what losers do. They have no other purpose in life than to go around making other people's lives miserable."

"Dean isn't the fuck up here, Justin," Alex finally said looking up at her brother as he stopped in front of her.

"Of course he is, Alex. And you're right behind him. Do you know what this will do to your future? You can kiss it goodbye that's what you can do."

"Dean isn't the fuck up," Alex repeated as she felt a tear begin to slide down her cheek.

"You keep saying that, Alex, but saying it won't make the facts any less true."

"He's not the father," Alex said slowly as she willed her voice not to break.

Justin was speechless for a moment and then he threw his hands up in the air. "You have got to be kidding me. There's another guy? What are you doing just giving it away for free all over town?"

Alex squeezed her eyes shut against the insult and swallowed the sob that was trying to rise in her throat.

"Who is it then?" Justin asked. "Who is the father?"

"You are," Alex replied opening her eyes to stare into his.


End file.
